Trade Minister: MBG Does Not Trigger Chicken Price Increase

JAKARTA - Trade Minister Budi Santoso emphasized that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program did not trigger an increase in the price of broiler chicken in the market.

Budi said the program made production more measurable because of the certainty of demand, so that prices tend to be stable.

According to him, the fluctuation in chicken prices was previously more influenced by the rise and fall of market demand. When demand is uncertain, production adjusts so that prices can easily fluctuate.

"In the past, prices went up and down because demand went up and down. Demand goes up and down, prices go up and down. Now, when the demand is like this (up), there is certainty. It is precisely production that follows it, linearly, following the demand so that prices tend to be stable," said Budi as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, February 18.

He asked the public to look at the price conditions comprehensively. According to him, there was no sudden spike in chicken prices due to the implementation of MBG.

"Is it suddenly soaring because of MBG? There is none, all prices are good too," he said.

The Minister of Trade said he had discussed with business actors, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and chicken producers. From the results of the meeting, business actors conveyed the certainty that the demand from the MBG program actually helped them increase production consistently.

He emphasized that the government ensured that price monitoring and supply were still carried out to maintain stability, especially ahead of the National Religious Holidays (HBKN) Ramadan and Idulfitri.

"This is actually good, because our production continues to increase, and of course because the demand is certain. In the past, the demand went up and down depending on the market," he added.

Based on the Market and Basic Needs Monitoring System (SP2KP) data as of February 13, 2026, the price of broiler chicken was recorded at Rp. 40,259 per kilogram. Broiler eggs Rp30,570 per kilogram, medium size Rp13,640 per kilogram, Minyakita Rp16,020 per liter, and cayenne pepper Rp73,609 per kilogram.