The Bureau of Corrections on Monday has urged all operating prison and penal farms in the country to enter into business ventures with the private sector to realize its vision of being relevant, sustainable and respected as part of "Bagong Bucor sa Bagong Pilipinas" program.
BuCor director general Gregorio Catapang cited the case of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm and the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Incorporated a company engaged in the production and export of fresh Cavendish bananas to Japan, Korea, Middle East, Hong Kong, China, Russia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore with an average production of 5,000 boxes per hectare per year.
The BuCor earned between P20 to P22 million per month for the lease of its land including the guaranteed annual production share where the bananas are planted. Persons deprived of liberty, on the other hand, also earned from TADECO where they were employed in the packaging of its produce.
Of the total land area of 8,445.13 hectares of DPPF, more than 5,000 were leased to TADECO.
He added that the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan will soon earn from the Reformation Initiative for Sustainable Environment for Food Security program aligned with the government's program for food security.
The IPPF is being eyed as the first mega economic zone to attract big-ticket investments because it will have its own power, water supply and port which is apart from the RISE program which will utilize 500 hectares out of its 28, 326.41 hectares.
Catapang also disclosed that in San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in Zamboanga City, Supt. Vic Domingo Suyat informed him that there is an ongoing negotiation for the possibility of leasing 15 hectares out of 664.71 hectares of the SRPPF for solar project and just like in Iwahig, 60 hectares of its land will be converted into economic zone for foreign investments.
The BuCor has a total land area of 48,783.31 hectares that can be converted for agro and acqua-culture sites and economic zones not just to help the country attain food security and food sufficiency but also help in economic development.