Indonesia further cuts budget of president’s free meals scheme

More cuts are possible to the original US$15 billion initiative, officials say1-MIN READ1-MIN0ListenPublished: 8:10pm, 21 Jul 2026Indonesia ⁠has further reduced its ⁠budget for President Prabowo Subianto’s ⁠signature free school meals programme to 229 trillion rupiah (US$12.81 billion) from 268 trillion rupiah and more cuts are possible, senior officials running the project said on Tuesday.The programme is Prabowo’s most important ‌and expensive election campaign pledge and has been central to wider concerns about Indonesia’s fiscal health.Originally, it was allotted 335 trillion rupiah in 2026 with a target by the end of the year of reaching 83 million recipients – roughly 30 per cent of the population – consisting of students and pregnant women. ⁠But that budget has been gradually reduced in an effort to boost efficiency. Reuters ‌last month reported that the National Nutrition Agency, which runs the project, was targeting a budget cut of more than US$2 ‌billion, with reductions in the number of beneficiaries and kitchen operators.02:12Indonesia pauses free meal programme during school break amid economic pressure and looming reformsPrabowo ⁠has given the ⁠agency a month to come up with the final budget figure following an internal review, ‌its secretary Lili Khamiliyah told a press conference, adding the 229 trillion rupiah cited was a provisional figure, ‌with further ‌room for efficiency measures.