VILLAGERS HOLD PRAYERS ASKING FOR RAIN

Madiun, Dec 18 (ANTARA) - Dozens of villagers of Wayut in the subdistrict of Jiwan, Madiun, East Java, held special prayers on Friday to ask for rain.

Village head Subroto said the special prayers was held after Friday prayers.

He said his village had suffered from drought for the last dry season but until now no rain had fallen and as a result a total of 232 hectares of rice fields had dried up and could not be used for farming.

"We prayed to God for immediate rain. The absence of rain and a minimum supply of water have made farmers in our village unable to start planting rice while rain has fallen in other regions," he said.

He said he hoped through the ritual the rain would soon fall to water the rice fields. He said the farmers had no other work except rice farming.

The prayers were carried out in the middle of rice fields, participated in by adults as well as children.

One of the farmers, Khamim, said he could not start planting rice because the rain had not fallen. He said the farmers in his village relied on rain for watering the fields.

Besides holding prayers the villagers also brought foods for other villagers to compete for. Villagers believed if they could get the foods on which prayers had been said before their harvest would be abundant.

Meanwhile thousand farmers in Paliyan, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, in Central Java also did the same.

"Villagers hoped rain would fall soon. If rain would not fall soon new plants would not be able to grow," the organizing chief said.

He said thousands of hectares of rice, corn and soybean plants had become withered.

Before holding the prayers the committee had asked participants to fast for three days so that their demand would be met.

One of the farmers, Sutinah, said she could lost around Rp3.5 million if rain would not fall soon.

"The villagers here have spent a lot to finance planting," she said. **