Airlangga Reveals The Implementation Of The Free Nutrition Eating Program Budget Is Flexibility

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto (Photo: dock. Antara)

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto emphasized that the free nutritious eating program, which was originally IDR 15,000 per serving, has the potential to change because the implementation of the program is flexible.

"However, later implementation will have flexibility," he told the media crew at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Office on Tuesday, July 16.

Airlangga emphasized that the budget for the Free Nutrition Food program of IDR 71 trillion is still in accordance with the 2025 State Budget Draft (RAPBN).

"Not in the RAPBN it's still the same," he said.

Previously, economist Verdhana Sekuritas Heriyanto Irawan said there was a discourse on changes to the implementation of the free nutritious food program budget. Because he was invited to discuss with the Prabowo-Gibran economist team regarding the budget of Rp71 trillion to be maximized thoroughly.

"I think it's interesting for me that after being communicated the figure was Rp71 trillion, then the president's job was to elect him to think about whether the cost of food per day could not be lowered more efficiently than Rp15,000, maybe to Rp9,000, to Rp7,500, right? That's roughly the case," said Heriyanto at the Mandiri Market Outlook 2024 event.

Heriyanto said Prabowo wanted the program to be maximized and touch every schoolchild in Indonesia.

"What I take as an important thing is that his thinking is to push his program within that limitation, the limitations in the Rp71 trillion, not then push Rp71 trillion to Rp200 trillion or Rp300 trillion," he said.