The head of Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, has resigned just 45 days after taking office, citing health concerns, as President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals programme prepares for another round of budget reductions.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday (Jul 22), Nanik announced that she was stepping down because of a heart condition and would travel overseas the same day to seek a second medical opinion.
“With a heavy heart, I bid farewell to the president to undergo treatment abroad for my heart. I plan to depart today, on Wednesday,” she said in her post.
Nanik clarified that her decision to seek treatment abroad was based on recommendations from colleagues rather than a lack of confidence in Indonesia’s healthcare system.
She also disclosed that President Prabowo had accepted her resignation, expressed concern over her health and asked her to remain involved with the National Nutrition Agency in a supervisory capacity.
“He asked me to continue overseeing BGN. It is likely that the president will establish a supervisory board, and I have been asked to serve as its chairman,” she said.
“If it’s just a matter of giving advice and keeping an eye on things, I can still do that, as long as it doesn’t involve handling money …. I’m traumatised by that,” she added.
Nanik was appointed to lead the agency last month after a major corruption scandal led to the dismissal and arrest of former BGN chief Dadan Hindayana and two deputy officials over alleged misuse of programme funds. She was the only deputy retained by President Prabowo during the leadership reshuffle.
Despite her short tenure, Nanik oversaw significant reforms within the agency. According to state news agency Antara, she reviewed nearly 28,000 community kitchens across the country, introduced quality classifications for around 3,000 facilities and suspended expansion in areas already considered oversaturated.
Presidential special assistant Dirgayuza Setiawan said in a statement on Wednesday that Nanik’s reform efforts had saved the government hundreds of billions of rupiah. He said she ordered action against 414 problematic kitchens, established 11 internal reform teams and redirected the programme’s focus towards vulnerable communities.
Her departure comes as Indonesia’s flagship free nutritious meals programme faces renewed financial tightening. On Tuesday, officials revealed that the programme’s budget had been reduced to 229 trillion rupiah (US$12.81 billion), down from 268 trillion rupiah, while indicating that additional cuts could still be made.
The programme was initially allocated 335 trillion rupiah for 2026, with the goal of serving 83 million beneficiaries by the end of the year. However, the budget has been repeatedly revised downward as the government seeks to improve efficiency.
In June, Reuters reported that the National Nutrition Agency was considering budget reductions exceeding US$2 billion, alongside plans to reduce both the number of beneficiaries and participating kitchen operators.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, BGN secretary Lili Khamiliyah said President Prabowo had given the agency one month to determine the final budget following an internal review. She stressed that the current allocation of 229 trillion rupiah remains provisional and could be lowered further through additional efficiency measures.
“There will be … reduction in the number of beneficiaries. The president no longer targets a certain number, but he wants improvement in quality so that there is no more food poisoning,” Agustina Arumsari, deputy head of BGN, said at the same press conference.
The free meals initiative was a central promise of Prabowo’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, with the ambitious programme aiming to provide daily nutritious meals to 83 million schoolchildren and pregnant women across Indonesia.
Since its launch in January 2025, however, the programme has faced mounting criticism, including reports linking it to food poisoning incidents that had affected at least 33,000 children as of April, according to the non-governmental organisation Network for Education Watch.
In her statement, Nanik pledged to continue supporting President Prabowo’s efforts to improve public welfare through the initiative despite leaving her executive position.
“I will continue to fight for and support the president, who is currently working tirelessly to improve the lives of the Indonesian people,” she said.
“Having worked alongside him for 14 years, I know for certain that the Free Nutritious Meals programme was never intended for political purposes, contrary to what some people have alleged,” she added.
“It is genuinely designed as a nutritional intervention for children so they can grow into a ‘golden generation’ while also safeguarding their health.”
