Local entrepreneurs in Ilocos Norte are using the One Town One Product (OTOP) Hub on Wheels to connect with more consumers and institutional buyers across regions.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Ilocos Norte facilitated the OTOP on Wheels, which visited a mall in San Fernando City, La Union on Thursday, following its launch at the ONE Ilocos Sur Food Park in Vigan City the previous day.

“On the first day, I am so happy that all my products were sold out,” Suerte Mia Soriano, owner of Lucky Theo’s Food Products in Barangay Binacag, Banna town, said in an interview on Thursday.

Along with nine other owners of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Soriano said their products, such as chichacorn, banana chips, taro chips, camote chips, sugarcane vinegar, inabel woven cloth, rice coffee, and lemongrass juice, attracted buyers at markets in the Ilocos Region.

DTI-Ilocos Norte Director Amelia Galvez said the OTOP on Wheels aims to strengthen regional trade collaboration and expand market access for local enterprises.

Over two days, the OTOP on Wheels traveled through the cities of Vigan in Ilocos Sur and San Fernando in La Union to support OTOPreneurs’ markets amid rising transportation costs caused by significant oil price increases.

While promoting the richness and diversity of locally made goods in the region, the DTI-Ilocos Norte team, led by Galvez, also paid a courtesy visit to top provincial officials to explore opportunities for an inter-provincial OTOP exchange at upcoming events.

The proposed collaboration aims to expand MSMEs’ market reach, promote best practice exchange, and increase exposure for local products beyond their provinces.

“It was an exciting and rewarding marketing event. Special thanks to the Ilocos Sur provincial government and DTI-Ilocos Sur, as your overwhelming support made our OTOP Hub Ilocos Norte on Wheels, the first leg, a resounding success,” Galvez said in a statement. (PNA)