Indonesia cuts funding for Prabowo’s free meal programme by $2 billion, reducing beneficiaries as reforms target quality and safety
JAKARTA: Indonesia has further cut the budget of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meal programme by more than $2 billion, officials said, in a move expected to reduce access to the scheme.
The multi-billion dollar meal programme is one of Prabowo’s signature policies, but its implementation has been marred with mass poisonings and corruption.
The budget for the programme for this year has been cut from 268 trillion rupiah ($14.9 billion) to 229 trillion rupiah, the National Nutrition Agency secretary Lili Khamiliyah told a news conference on Tuesday.
Indonesia originally allocated 335 trillion rupiah for the programme this year, but it had been reduced following several budget-saving measures.
Spokeswoman Agustina Arumsari said the figure was provisional, adding further cuts could come as the agency reviewed the programme’s implementation.
“We were given a month by the president to improve the management (of the programme),” she said.
“What is clear is that there will be a reduction in beneficiaries. The president said he no longer targets certain numbers but (wants) to improve quality, ensure it’s on target and prevent further poisonings.”
The programme currently serves some 62.7 million recipients, said Agustina, who did not detail how many people would be impacted by the latest cut.
Tuesday’s announcement was the latest reduction to the scheme.
The agency said last month that the free meal scheme was suspended during school holidays, which was expected to save more than three trillion rupiah.
In March, the agency cut the distribution of meals from six days a week to five, aiming to save up to 40 trillion rupiah as the country sought to cushion the economic impact from the Middle East war.
The agency’s head Nanik Sudaryati Deyang announced on Facebook on Wednesday that she was stepping down from her position, citing health reasons.
Prabowo previously fired Nanik’s predecessor Dadan Hindayana and two deputies, who have since been accused of “crimes in management” of the agency.
The free meal scheme had an original goal of reaching at least 82.9 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women — nearly one-third of the country’s population.
More than 20 percent of children in Indonesia are affected by stunting caused by severe malnutrition.
