{"id":2396,"date":"2018-11-09T16:35:25","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T16:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/?p=2396"},"modified":"2018-11-09T16:35:25","modified_gmt":"2018-11-09T16:35:25","slug":"egypt-turns-jail-into-economic-hubs-to-outpace-inflation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2018\/11\/09\/egypt-turns-jail-into-economic-hubs-to-outpace-inflation\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt turns jail into economic hubs to outpace inflation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Egyptian authorities are drawing on prisons\u00a0to combat rising retail prices and boost the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) by\u00a0giving jails another dimension as production centers for a range of consumer products.<\/p>\n

In line with the \u201creform and rehabilitate\u201d principle called for in\u00a0the\u00a0Egyptian Constitution<\/a>, sentenced craftsmen, carpenters, farmers, veterinarians, shoemakers and many others have an opportunity to work, make money\u00a0and become breadwinners fending for their families behind bars.<\/p>\n

Egyptian prisoners produce wood and metal furniture, carpets, shoes, garments, bottled drinking water, poultry, fresh vegetables and fruits, beef, fish and dairy products.<\/p>\n

Late President Anwar al-Sadat\u00a0issued a decree<\/a>\u00a0in 1978 to launch a fund for production facilities affiliated with jailhouses to train inmates in various occupations.\u00a0Most of the products are sold to the public nationwide at outlets affiliated with the Interior Ministry.<\/p>\n

Egypt’s prisons<\/a>, like many others, are known for\u00a0brutality and violence<\/a>, but security experts say this\u00a0program develops the skills of prisoners, who contribute to the country’s\u00a0economic growth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEl-Marg Prison in Qaluibia governorate [northeast of Cairo]\u00a0stands out as the largest producer of furniture, livestock and food products. The inmates work under the full supervision of professional engineers and technicians who are [also] specialist police officers,\u201d Maj. Gen. Hassan el-Sohagy, former head of Egypt’s\u00a0Prisons Authority<\/a>, told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n

The Interior Ministry applies a policy based on correction and rehabilitation that aims to\u00a0turn inmates into good citizens for their families and the whole nation, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrisoners have an opportunity to get sufficient training in a specific craft that would help them make a living after being released. Inmates get a monthly wage from the Prisons Production and Manufacturing Fund for their work at these facilities,\u201d Sohagy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prison-made products are of high quality and cheaper. This is for the best interest of consumers to combat price hikes,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

The state budget earmarked 26.15 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.4 billion) for the Interior Ministry in fiscal year 2017-18, which ended June 30.\u00a0Of that amount,\u00a0allocations for the Prisons Production and Manufacturing Fund\u00a0totaled 84 million<\/a>\u00a0Egyptian pounds, ($4.6 million).\u00a0The program also extends to women’s prisons.\u00a0\u201cPrisons for women produce handmade garments, linen and sheets. The prisons also produce honey and dairy products,” Sohagy said.<\/p>\n

“Productive jails play both social and economic roles,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

A working inmate gets a monthly wage reaching as high as 6,000 Egyptian pounds (around $330), Maj. Gen.\u00a0Zakaria el-Ghamry<\/a>, assistant interior minister for the Prisons Authority, was quoted\u00a0as saying Oct. 31 by Ahl Masr news.\u00a0\u201cThe Prisons Livestock Division of\u00a0the Prisons Production and Manufacturing Fund produces around\u00a0150 million eggs<\/a>\u00a0per annum. The division also has its own fodder plant,\u201d he said Oct. 22, Al-Ahram Al-Massai reported.<\/p>\n

For the public, shopping at kiosks selling prison-made food products has\u00a0become an everyday habit thanks to affordable prices compared with supermarkets, chain stores and even neighborhood groceries, said schoolteacher Ayman Abdel Zaher.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost vegetables and fruits sell for at least 30% less than average market prices. From 8 a.m., people line up in front of vegetable vans, kiosks and other outlets selling prison-made products. By noon, most of the day’s stock is\u00a0sold out,\u201d Abdel Zaher told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n

Egypt’s Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics\u00a0ascribed a rise in the Consumer Price Index\u00a0(CPI) to increases in the prices of vegetables and fruits by\u00a017.2% and 7.4%<\/a>,\u00a0respectively.<\/p>\n

Overall, the\u00a0CPI rose<\/a>\u00a02.6% over August, reaching 302.7 in September.<\/p>\n

The annual inflation rate in September was 15.4%, down dramatically from 32.9% in the same period the year before\u00a0but up from\u00a0August 2018\u00a0when inflation stood at\u00a013.6%.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0productive jailhouse<\/a>\u00a0is in line with the government’s overall program to reform the economy, economists say, citing the need to increase output, especially of food products.<\/p>\n

The prisons may be deemed state-owned economic units with labor, land, capital and organization. However, a jailhouse should work in harmony with\u00a0the private sector, one economist said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s enough area for workshops, farms and plants. Inmates may comprise professionals, craftsmen, [general] workers, blacksmiths, fitters, carpenters and farmers. The authorities organize and supervise these facilities as an enterprise, applying the supply\/demand equation,\u201d economist Mohamed Assem told Al-Monitor.<\/p>\n

So do these\u00a0cheaper products create\u00a0a less-competitive retail market?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prisons apply a mass-production strategy, especially for food products, which are in high demand in Egypt. Lower prices usually drive the private sector to find a way to cut costs. Competitiveness is intact\u00a0thanks to the nation’s huge market and growing population, Assem said.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the production that takes place in prisons isn’t seasonal and is hardly affected by the overall business climate.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike the private sector, the economic units of prisons are not impacted by the local business mood. High demand for cheap products has the final say, driving these units to increase output year after year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

However, Assem stressed that prisons\u00a0as production units\u00a0shouldn’t become a rival to the private sector in the long run.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government is liberalizing the economy to bolster the business climate and foster entrepreneurship. All obstacles facing the private sector should be ironed out. The private enterprise is the core of a market-friendly economy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

Read more:\u00a0http:\/\/www.al-monitor.com\/pulse\/originals\/2018\/11\/egypt-price-hikes-prison-made-products.html#ixzz5WNNQrYzd<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Egyptian authorities are drawing on prisons\u00a0to combat rising retail prices and boost the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) by\u00a0giving jails another dimension as production centers for a range of consumer products. In line with the \u201creform and rehabilitate\u201d principle called for in\u00a0the\u00a0Egyptian Constitution, sentenced craftsmen, carpenters, farmers, veterinarians, shoemakers and many others have an opportunity to work, make money\u00a0and become… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[174],"class_list":["post-2396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-https-www-al-monitor-com-pulse-originals-2018-11-egypt-price-hikes-prison-made-products-html"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2396"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2397,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2396\/revisions\/2397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}