Some agripreneurs from the province of Ilocos Norte are getting ready for a Christmas bazaar in San Juan City which will showcase a long list of Ilocano delicacies and non-food products.

In its bid to help micro, small and medium enterprises adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said Monday that he earlier had n meeting with San Juan city mayor Francis Zamora to allow selected producers from Ilocos Norte to sell their agricultural and processed food and non-food products directly to consumers during the Christmas bazaar which will begin on Dec. 1.

For the first time, the Ilocos Norte MSMEs will be joining in the monthlong Christmas bazaar to showcase various agricultural and processed food and non-food products to consumers in San Juan City and nearby areas.

Before the agreement with San Juan City, Ilocos Norte also has an existing memorandum of agreement with the local government of Quezon City that allows the province’s agripreneurs to participate in their bazaars.

Agnes Asuncion, a regular participant in the Producer to Consumer (P2C) bazaar at the Quezon City hall hopes that they will be given more platforms to expand their market reach aside from the province.

“We are so lucky and blessed that our local governments and other government agencies are assisting us to reach out to more customers. This way, we are more inspired to improve our products,” said Asuncion who has been into selling fresh fruits and other processed food and non-products from the province.

Among the genuine Ilocano products to be sold at the bazaar are Ilocos empanada, bagnet chicharon, longganisa, camote and banana chips, garlic, vinegar, sugarcane juice, inabel (hand-woven cloth) products and other assorted fruits and vegetables, among others.

To strengthen the partnership, a sisterhood agreement is expected to be signed soon between the San Juan City and Ilocos Norte governments. (PNA)