EO 116: Increasing the Minimum Access Volume for Pork
Legal question
What is the pork Minimum Access Volume, and how does raising it affect prices and supply?
Applicable laws and rules to discuss
- Executive Order No. 116, increasing pork MAV
- Republic Act No. 8178, the Agricultural Tariffication Act, as amended
Why this matters
MAV is the volume of a given agricultural product that may be imported at a lower in-quota tariff rate each year; volume above it pays a higher out-quota rate. Raising the MAV lets more pork enter at the lower tariff, a lever typically used to ease domestic supply shortages such as those following African Swine Fever losses in local hog production.
The size of the increase
The Order nearly quadruples the ceiling: the MAV for pork meat for MAV Year 2026 is increased from 54,210 metric tons to 204,210 metric tons — an additional 150,000 MT of pork importable at the in-quota rate.
Where the extra volume is earmarked
The MAV Management Committee is directed to ensure fair allocation, with two tranches specified in the Order itself: 30,000 MT for processors, and 120,000 MT for the Food Terminal Inc. or the KADIWA ng Pangulo Program. That means the bulk of the increase is routed through a government retail channel rather than released to general importers.
Who this affects
Meat importers, processors, and hog raisers' associations should watch for the MAV Management Committee's implementing guidelines, which were due within 30 days of effectivity and must ensure the FTI and KADIWA allocations are used consistently with the MAV Plus mechanism's goals of augmenting supply and stabilizing prices.
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