President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has increased the country’s 2026 corn import quota to 500,000 metric tons from 220,000 MT to address a projected supply shortage and help stabilize animal feed prices.
Executive Order No. 129, signed on October 26, allows an additional 280,000 MT of corn imports.
“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 stated.
Corn is a major ingredient in livestock and poultry feeds, so a shortage could increase production costs and put pressure on pork and poultry prices.
The additional imports will be available to qualified feed manufacturers and farmers producing feeds for their own livestock and poultry operations.
The MAV Management Committee must issue allocation guidelines within 30 days from the order’s effectivity. Marcos Jr. submitted the proposed quota increase to Congress on September 29, and the EO states that it was deemed approved after Congress took no substantive action within the prescribed 15-day period.
The order takes effect upon publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation.IMT
