Warungkiara Prison's Agricultural Produce Reaches Markets in Bandung and Tangerang

Warungkiara Class II A Prison in Sukabumi, West Java, is empowering inmates by having them manage farmland and livestock. Around 12 prisoners work on the 10-hectare site owned by the facility. Commodities cultivated include bananas, water spinach, chillies, and choy sum. Notably, the prison’s barred walls have been converted into a vertical garden for growing choy sum in hanging arrangements. Other plots are located near the front entrance, with the largest area situated at the rear of the property. Inmates were observed tending the gardens and watering plants in the late afternoon, with four individuals in shirts, trousers, and conical hats entering the farm carrying watering buckets. Prison governor Panji Pamekas explained that part of the harvest is used to meet the facility’s food requirements, with the remainder sourced from vendors. Agricultural produce is also sold commercially, with established buyers distributing goods to wholesale markets in Bandung and Tangerang. Panji added that the inmates receive premiums from the sales, which are saved to serve as financial support upon their release. The prison also raises livestock, including 350 cattle for fattening, 10 goats, 400 laying hens, 600 free-range chickens, 40 ducks, and Muscovy ducks. Its cultivation covers bananas, melons, grapes, papayas, pineapples, and various vegetables such as pak choy, choy sum, water spinach, round aubergines, purple aubergines, bird’s eye chillies, green chillies, celery, spring onions, long beans, and cucumbers.