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Executive Order No. 129 lifts the 2026 minimum access volume (MAV) for corn from 220,000 MT to 500,000 MT, an additional 280,000 MT
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The government projects a yellow corn supply deficit of about 1.422 million MT from March to December 2026
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The MAV Management Committee has 30 days from the order’s effectivity to issue allocation guidelines
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has increased the 2026 minimum access volume (MAV) for corn to 500,000 metric tons (MT), up from 220,000 MT. The Executive Order No. 129, signed on Oct. 26, takes effect upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.
The MAV is the volume of an agricultural product that can be imported at a lower tariff. The order amends the rules under Republic Act No. 8178, the Agricultural Tariffication Act. Under that law, the President may propose MAV adjustments to Congress in cases of supply shortage or abnormal price increases. A proposal is deemed approved if Congress does not act on it within 15 days of receipt. The order says Marcos submitted this proposal on Sept. 29 and that Congress took no dispositive action within the period.
“The country is projected to experience a yellow corn supply deficit of approximately 1.422 million metric tons (MT) from March to December 2026, due to constraints on domestic production and increasing production costs, which may be further aggravated by higher fertilizer, fuel, freight, and other agricultural input costs, as well as weather-related risks, including the potential effects of El Niño,” the EO, signed on behalf of President Marcos by acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, stated.
Corn is the main energy component of livestock and poultry feed, so a shortage can raise feed costs and, in turn, the retail prices of pork and poultry products. The order says this could add to inflation pressure on food.
The MAV Management Committee (MMC) recommended activating the “MAV Plus” mechanism for corn. The order describes the increase as a calibrated and temporary measure to augment supply for feed production. It is meant to serve qualified feed millers and manufacturers, as well as farmers, cooperatives and associations that produce feed for their own livestock and poultry.
Guidelines within 30 days
The MMC must issue implementing guidelines within 30 days of the order’s effectivity. They must provide for the equitable and transparent allocation of the additional 280,000 MT. The order says the extra importation must be calibrated, transparent and time-bound, and must stabilize feed prices and serve consumer welfare. The order does not say who will get the volume or when shipments may arrive. These details are expected in the guidelines.
The corn order follows other recent MAV increases. In May, Marcos signed EO 116, which raised the 2026 pork MAVfrom 54,210 MT to 204,210 MT. The order also set 30 days for guidelines. PortCalls reported that it was part of the government’s UPLIFT agenda, a response to the economic impact of the Middle East crisis.
The government has used MAV increases before to ease shortages. In 2021, then-President Rodrigo Duterte signed EO 133 raising the pork import MAV to 254,210 MT from 54,210 MT to address a shortage tied to African swine fever. Those moves drew opposition from senators and hog raisers’ groups.
The Department of Agriculture has also moved to overhaul MAV rules. In 2025, it said the 30-year-old pork MAV rules had loopholes. A DA review then found that 47 of 130 accredited quota holders held 80% of the allocation. That history shows why the transparency requirement in the new guidelines will matter.
