Regarding BOI delegation’s visit to Karachi (19-21 June 2019). Below is a brief discussion between CG and Mr. Ahsan Ali Mangi, Sindh Secretary of Investment Department (SSID), Sindh Province on 26 June 2019.                           

         1. CG followed up with the 20^th June 2019 meeting between Thailand BOI and Sindh Investment Department, which could be scoped down into 2 possible major sectors: fishery (e.g. shrimp/fish farming or fish feeding) and tourism. CG recalled to the discussion between Thailand BOI and Pakistani fishery authorities on 21 June 2019 on cold storage, food processing and packaging. CG and SSID saw prospects between Pakistan and Thailand in fishery sector which accounts half of Thailand’s import from Pakistan. As an example for further cooperation, CG echoed Thai businessmen’s observations regarding lack of food grading before exporting to Thailand.

         2. SSID offered Thai businessmen a business matching in Pakistan and incentives such as taxations, funding to Thai side. SSID added that Thai investors could enjoy GPS plus for their fish export to EU (though shrimp is not included in GPS plus). SSID offered to provide Sindh sector analysis to the Thai counterpart for business decision making. SSID informed that most of the fish farming in Sindh is done in-land by small entrepreneurs in the remote areas where electricity is not accessible. Hence, solar and wind energy supply would reduce the cost of production, compared with using diesel generator.

         3. CG informed SSID that in the past years, CP planned to invest in shrimp farming business in Sindh, but later shifted to poultry industry in Lahore instead. CG in consultation with the Thai Ambassador in Islamabad will find a chance to visit CP industry in Lahore in the near future for possible CP business interests in Sindh Province.

         4. In term of tourism, SSID viewed Thailand as a potential investor, especially in adventure tourism in Northern Pakistan where there are Buddhist archeological sites and mountainous sceneries and in Southern Pakistan where sea waterpark along Sindh coastline and the 7000-year-old Indus civilization valley are located. Therefore, SSID will arrange a meeting for CG to have a discussion with  Sindh tourism authority on the subject in the third week of July.