Cilacap residents resort to potatoes

CILACAP, Central Java: At least 600 residents of Grugu village here have been forced to eat sweet potatoes instead of rice.

"The residents are so poor, they can no longer afford to buy staple food," Ansor Basuki, the Cilacap administration spokesman, said on Tuesday.

Grugu village houses 172 families who mostly come from Tegal, Brebes, Cirebon and Pekalongan.

However, villagers said they used to be wealthy until looters from neighboring villages started to rob their shrimp ponds recently. (45/edt)