Dermaji residents on subsistence diet

Dermaji residents on subsistence diet

BANYUMAS, Central Java (JP): At least 300 people in Dermaji
subdistrict in Banyumas regency are existing on a diet of gaber
(cassava shavings) because they are no longer able to purchase
rice or other staple foods.

The head of the Banyumas development planning agency, Bambang
Priyono, confirmed the report and said people in the area had not
been forced to live on such food since Dutch colonialism.

"It occurring again now. It shows how severe the suffering of
the people is during this monetary crisis. We must do something
to help them," Bambang said in a hearing with the local
legislative council.

He said the government would intensify social safety net
programs aimed at villagers because 90 percent of the 2,000
Dermaji inhabitants were peasants.

Their daily wages are not enough to buy a liter of rice, he
said. "They only earn Rp 3,000 per day." (45)