The Philippines, through the Department of Trade and Industry’s Foreign Trade Service Corps (DTI-FTSC), welcomed 19 confectionary manufacturers from Kansai Kashi Kogyo Cooperative Association, led by its President Mr. Fujisawa Hajime, President of Nobel Confectionery Co., Ltd. (1st row; 5th from left), through a briefing held last 16 November at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City. In her welcome remarks, DTI Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Assistant Secretary Rafaelita M. Aldaba (1st row, 4th from left) introduced DTI’s Inclusive Innovation Industrial Strategy or i3S, which aims to develop globally competitive and innovative industries to sustain the country’s high growth trajectory with innovation at its core. Agribusiness and processed food are among the 12 priority industries identified under the i3S. Mr. Nobuyuki Nakajima, Deputy Executive Director of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Manila (1st row, 3rd from left), and Mr. Kawamura Tomotaka, Project Manager of Sojitz Philippines Corporation (1st row, 6th from left), also shared their valuable experience in doing business in the Philippines from a Japanese perspective. The event was concluded by a business networking session attended by members of the Philippine Confectionery, Biscuit and Snack Association (PCBSA), led by its President, Mr. Kissinger Sy (1st row, 1st from left). The Philippine confectionary industry grew by 2.6% in 2016, with revenues amounting to USD 670.10 million.