Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government expects lower budget requirements for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program following governance improvements and recalculations, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi said on Thursday.”Based on the calculations, we believe there will be a reduction in the budget requirements for the MBG program. We need time to calculate with the Ministry of Finance and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN),” he said.The MBG budget for 2026 has been set at Rp268 trillion (nearly US$15 billion).Prasetyo said the government had agreed on a comprehensive restructuring of the program, which is targeted for completion within the next month.The restructuring will address various implementation issues while prioritizing underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions so they can receive the benefits of the program sooner.He added that the government is also seeking to expand the number of beneficiaries among pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers within the next two weeks.As part of the restructuring, the government is reviewing beneficiary priorities, including schools that may not meet existing criteria for MBG distribution.Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan said the number of Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs), or MBG kitchens, had exceeded the original target by 6,877 points.”The initial plan was 21,000 locations, but now there are 27,877 locations. There is an excess of 6,877 points,” he said.Zulkifli added that the increase could create potential inefficiencies amounting to around Rp12 trillion (US$650 million) annually.The number of SPPGs in 3T regions has also increased from an initial target of 2,000 to 8,617 points.”A comprehensive restructuring by the head of BGN and the new management is needed to improve this very important program,” Zulkifli emphasized.BGN Head Naniek S. Deyang said the agency was implementing efficiency measures to ensure the program does not burden state finances while maintaining nutritional targets for beneficiaries.The first step is a moratorium on the establishment of new kitchens and service points.Currently, 27,877 kitchen points operate under virtual accounts and will be reviewed to assess whether their service capacity matches the number of beneficiaries in each region.