T

span class="inline inline-right">Till death do we part: Couples queue for photos after a mass wedding at Semarang City Hall in 2008 file photo. Up to 80 couples were married in the ceremony. (JP/Suherdjoko) TEMANGGUNG, Central Java: In this cool plateau regency, the tobacco harvest season almost always comes with the “divorce season”.

The local government announced on Tuesday that the divorce rate had more than doubled over the past month, to 208 cases from the average 100 cases during previous months.

In Temanggung, one of Java’s main tobacco producers, the harvest season usually falls between September and October.

“During regular months the divorce rate is usually less than 100 cases, but it has soared this tobacco harvest season as usual,” Temanggung Religious Court deputy chief Tamzil told Antara. He added that between January and early October, the office had recorded 1,500 divorce cases.

Official data show that in most cases it was wives who filed for divorce for reasons of infidelity. Another prime reason is economic hardship that makes it difficult for a spouse to sustain a family.

“Usually, the spouses have been arguing for a long time but they are too broke to file for divorce. So when the tobacco is harvested, they have the money to go to the [religious] court,” Tamzil said.

It costs Rp 500,000 (US$45) to file for divorce — a substantial amount for the average local farmer.

Tamzil said the court was so busy during this “divorce season” that court officials often had to serve petitioners way after business hours.

“So to avoid extended working hours, we’ve had to call it a day at 4 p.m. and tell them to come back the next day.”