Thai Consul-General attended the SLE 2020 on 8 Feb 2020

Mr. Thatree Chauvachata, Thai Consul General (CG), and deputy CG Apipan Cheecharoen, with the invitation from the Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Minister, participated at the Sindh Livestock Expo (SLE) 2020 at the city of Hyderabad, welcomed by Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Minister Adul Bari Pitafi. Chief guests during the inauguration were the Thai CG, Indonesian CG, Pakistan Peoples Party women wing president MPA Faryal Talpur, Punjab Minister for Livestock Sardar Hasnain Bahadur, Secretary for livestock Aijaz Ahmed Mahesar, Hyderabad Commissioner, and officers of Livestock and Fisheries Department. 

Overview: Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Ministry organized the event where 32  breeds of goats, 12 breeds of sheep and cows, bulls, horses and camels of dozen of separate pedigrees were put on display in the festival, apart from parades of bulls and dogs as well as the horse, bull and camel races. There were 25 lectures and presentations delivered in seminars to disseminate awareness and modus operandi about new techniques. Cash prizes and certificates were also awarded to the breeders. There were not only breeders and officers from Sindh that attended the festival but also from Punjab, Balochistan, and KPK. The companies which produce fodder, medicines and different materials used in the livestock sector also put their stalls on display in the event.

Discussion:  Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Minister Adul Bari Pitafi informed that the exhibition had ushered in a new era for the Sindh Government’s livestock policy. He said that the main purpose of the exhibition was to provide an opportunity to traditional livestock owners to turn their animals into market-oriented farm cattle and added that the SLE 2020 was more focused, aimed to target corporate sector, technological solutions, growers/ farmers, investors, diplomatic mission, academia of Sindh and other stack holders of Sindh’s Livestock business sector. The Minister lamented that the governments have been paying disproportionate attention to the industrial sector, largely ignoring the agricultural, livestock and fisheries sectors. From now on he projected that the Government of Sindh would promote Livestock sector not only for food security but also to improve value addition across the value chain, mentioning that the exhibition would bring the government and investors onto a single platform for working in a collaborative manner and help increase exports.

Pakistan Peoples Party women wing president MPA Faryal Talpur said that the expo would (1) help livestock industry grow and give an opportunity to traditional livestock owners to turn their animals into business (2) benefit all those who sought information about livestock, including breeding, genetics and genomics, disease control and product development. Lastly, she said that as a farmer and breeder herself, she knew well how important it was to inform farmers about animal breeding, marketing of animals and their meat. She stressed the need for introducing new technology to this sector.

Punjab Minister for Livestock Sardar Hasnain Bahadur described the event as a major event of livestock in Sindh. He appreciated Sindh government’s efforts and thanked his counterpart for inviting him to the event, which would certainly promote livestock industry in the country.

Opportunities for Business: There is a huge potential in the livestock, dairy and fisheries sector in Sindh. Pakistan ranks as 5^th largest milk producer of the world, with 40 billion liters produced annually out of which only a small fraction is processed. In the context of livestock, 27% buffaloes, 26% cattle, 25% sheep, 30% camel, and 40% poultry population in Pakistan is focused in Sindh. The potential of Halal meat exports and the ever-rising gap between the demand and production of meat and milk makes Sindh a very lucrative investment destination. According to Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Minister, following are the ready projects for investment in this sector: modern warehouses, shrimp farming along the coastal belt of Sindh and cold storage facilities at farm level. The Minister mentioned that the Sindh government has decided to promote the livestock sector to the level that the country became self-sustaining in the milk and meat sectors.

Future: This is the first event for the livestock expo. Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah promised that the livestock fair would be organized every year and the budget would be allocated for 2020-21. According the CM, the Sindh government is working to promote livestock and agriculture on priority because 60 of the entire population of the country depended on those two sectors.  Moreover, the festival provided a learning experience to the livestock breeders from across Pakistan who attended the event. The seminars and lectures about the breeds, health issues, productivity and other livestock related matters greatly enhanced knowledge of the livestock owners. Sindh Livestock and Fisheries Minister reiterated that Sindh had enough potential in this sector.