President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the increase Minimum Access Volume (MAV) of corn for 2026 from the current 220,000 metric tons to 500,000 metric tons, or an increase of 280,000 metric tons, through Executive Order NO. 129 that Malacañang released on Tuesday.
The President signed the EO 129 on October 26, which was released on Tuesday, following the lack of action from Congress on the proposed raising of MAV that the Office of the Presidents submitted last September 29.
“Consistent with the foregoing, the President submitted to Congress, on 29 September 2026, a proposal to increase the MAV for corn from 220,000 MT to 500,000 MT, or an additional 280,000 MT,” the EO read.
“When no dispositive or substantive Congressional action is taken within the period prescribed under RA NO. 8178, as amended, the proposed increase is deemed approved in accordance with law,” the EO also read.
Republic Act (RA) No. 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, authorizes the President, in cases of supply shortages or abnormal price increases, to propose adjustments to the MAV to Congress, “which shall be deemed approved if not acted upon within fifteen (15) days from receipt.”
The proposed hike stemmed from the activation of the MAV Plus Mechanism for corn following the recommendation of the MAV Management Committee (MMC) to allow an additional import of 280,000 metric tons “as a calibrated and temporary measure to augment domestic corn supply for feed production and address the requirements of qualified feed millers and manufacturers, as well as farmers, farmers’ cooperatives, and associations engaged in feed production for their own livestock and poultry operations.”
The EO said that corn is a principal energy component in livestock and poultry feeds, and inadequate domestic corn supply may increase feed costs and, consequently, the production costs and retail prices of pork and poultry products which would then add to the inflationary pressures on food commodities.
EO 129 also said that 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 the increasing production costs, which could be aggravated by the higher fertilizer, fuel, freight, and other agricultural input costs, as well as weather-related risks, including the potential effects of El Nino.
The executive order added that this makes it urgent to address the projected supply gap in yellow corn and ensure the adequate and stable supply of corn for the livestock, poultry, and feed milling industries, and mitigate pressures on feed and food prices.
The MMC is directed to ensure the formulation and issuance of the implementing guidelines within 30 days from the effectiveness of EO 129.
The guidelines should provide for the equitable and transparent allocation and distribution of the additional 280,000 metric tons of corn and ensure that the additional importation is implemented as a calibrated, transparent, and time-bound measure to augment domestic corn supply, stabilize feed prices, and address the feed supply requirements of the livestock, poultry, and feed milling industries.
This EO shall take effect immediately upon its publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.