VADODARA: A trade delegation of Thai representatives led by ambassador Pisan Manawapat visited the city on Tuesday to gauge industrial and infrastructure development in and around it.
Manawapat with around half-a-dozen other officials from Thailand met officials at Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), Vadodara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Vand are scheduled to visit key industrial units around the city on Wednesday.
VMC commissioner Ashwini Kumar said the delegation was on a visit to familiarize itself with the business environment in the state. “They discussed urban and industrial development in and around Vadodara extensively with us. They were keen to know how the city would develop in the coming years and what opportunities would emerge here,” he added.
Manawapat said the delegation was there to see the potential for business in the state. “So far, business houses from Thailand have had a good presence in south India. We will introduce Gujarat as a destination for business to them,” he said. The ambassador said that he had also been briefed regarding the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. “We will look into the opportunities available on this front too,” he said. He added that prominent Thai construction companies had presence in India and were involved in infrastructure projects.
At VCCI, the delegation met industrialists across a broad spectrum of industrial sectors. Even representatives of education institutes and NGOs were present. “Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has announced a Free Trade Agreement with India. Once this is signed, we expect the trade between the two nations to multiply and bilateral trade may exceed 10 billion USD,” Nilesh Shukla, senior vice-president, VCCI, said.
Former VCCI president Jatin Bhatt said the Thai delegation was particularly impressed by the power situation in the state. “They are eyeing sectors like power, textiles, automobiles and electronics,” he added.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/Thai-delegation-explores-business-opportunities-in-Gujarat/articleshow/13154031.cms