Tunisia: Prayers held for rain to save agriculture season

Prayers for rain were held Sunday in Tunisia following the large rainfall deficit that threatens the next harvest.

Launched Friday by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, this call to pray was made in a country where agriculture accounts for almost 10% of its Gross Domestic Product.

Hundreds of faithful gathered inside a municipality in Tunis built for the occasion.

“We made this prayer because, as everyone knows, low rainfall in recent months (…) and where the rain delays, Muslims run,” said Minister Mohamed Khalil.

“I hope that this prayer was made throughout the country,” said Mohamed Lasaad, a faithful of about fifty years. “God save us from hunger.”

The first significant change of weather appeared on Saturday with sections of Tunisia’s interior experiencing snowfalls.

But since September there has been a deficit in rainfall which is lower by more than 20% on average, and the next three months will be crucial, particularly for the cereal crops.