BGN Denies MBG Funds Stuck, SPPG Payments Delayed Only Technical Difficulties

JAKARTA - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has denied reports that payments to the nutritional food service unit (SPPG) have been stalled due to a lack of budget. BGN confirmed that the delay in disbursing funds was solely due to administrative technical constraints, not due to a lack of government funds.

Deputy Head of BGN, Nanik S Deyang, ensured that the program budget was still available and in a safe condition. He said this when he was met at SMKN 1 Jakarta, Thursday, January 8. "It's just a technical problem, not a financial problem. It's not because there's no money. The funds are there," said Nanik.

According to Nanik, payment delays generally occur because the mechanism for disbursing funds depends on the timeliness of the proposal from the SPPG manager. The operational funds for the public kitchen, he explained, are disbursed every 10 days based on the incoming proposal.

If the kitchen manager is late in sending a proposal, the disbursement of funds is automatically delayed until the next cycle. As a result, even a delay of one day can have an impact of up to 10 days.

"SPPG if you want to ask for money you have to send a proposal. If the proposal is late one day, the disbursement can be delayed up to 10 days because the mechanism is indeed every 10 days," he explained.

In addition to the proposal factor, Nanik also revealed the replacement of commitment-making officials (PPK) in the institution's internal which also affected the smooth financial administration process. This condition was admitted to have slowed down the disbursement of funds to a number of SPPG.

However, Nanik emphasized that the financial condition of the free nutritious meal program (MBG) was in a very safe state. In fact, BGN recorded a return of the remaining budget of Rp. 11 trillion to the state treasury in 2025.

"The budget is safe. In fact, there is a surplus that we return to the country," he concluded.