10 August 2011 12:37 pm Views - 3702
The Prisons and Rehabilitation Ministry is expecting to improve agricultural skills of prisoners by engaging them in cultivation of minor export crops in prison lands, the ministry said.
These crops would be cultivated in lands close to prisons located in Pallekele, Boossa, Mahara and Meekirigala. The ministry said that cashew would be cultivated in a plot of land selected in the Anuradhapura prison area. Among the other crops earmarked to be cultivated under this programme are Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, and Arecanut.
This decision was taken by Minor Export Crop Minister Reginald Cooray at a meeting recently. According to Prison and Rehabilitation Ministry, they are planning to get new lands for the Kalutara prison as at the moment Kalutara prison does not have enough space to cultivate crops. At the first stage they are going to cultivate about 85 acres in all prisons around the country.