What tariff does imported corn pay in the Philippines?

Under Executive Order 62 of 20 June 2024, which runs to 2028, corn within the minimum access volume of 216,940 t pays 5% and corn outside it 15%. The WTO bound rates are 35% and 50%, so the applied rates are well below them. The Department of Agriculture has proposed raising the access volume to 500,000 t; USDA reported in June 2026 that it had not been implemented.

What clearance does a corn cargo need before it ships?

The importer needs a Bureau of Plant Industry licence and an SPS import clearance (SPSIC), applied for online with an affidavit stating feed or food use, a proforma invoice and a GMO or non-GMO declaration. Corn clearances are not approved automatically. Once approved, the cargo must ship within 20 days and arrive within 60 days from ASEAN origins or 90 days from Myanmar and origins outside ASEAN, so the shipment month is fixed only after the clearance is in hand.

What quality does a Philippine feed miller buy?

The Bureau of Animal Industry feed-corn standard: moisture 14% maximum, aflatoxin 50 ppb maximum, crude protein 8.6% minimum, crude fat 3.4% minimum, crude fibre 1.6% maximum, ash 1.2% maximum and impurities 2% maximum, certified at load. The phytosanitary certificate must carry the SPSIC number and the fumigation, and GM corn needs a BPI biosafety permit for an event already approved in the origin country.

When do Philippine millers buy corn instead of feed wheat?

When corn is cheaper. Millers substitute Australian feed wheat for corn, and USDA's figures show the spread swinging both ways: feed wheat was USD 71 to 77/t below corn in July and August 2025, corn was the cheaper grain from September 2025 to January 2026, and in April 2026 corn reached USD 305/t against feed wheat at USD 246/t. Corn demand, and the timing of corn purchases, follow that spread.

Southeast Asia · Philippines

Yellow Corn CFR Philippines: Feed-Grade Corn for Philippine Feed Millers

The Philippines grows about 8 million tonnes of corn and still imports more than 2 million tonnes a year to feed its livestock

The Philippines is short of corn for feed. USDA puts domestic output at 8.15 million tonnes in the 2025/26 marketing year and 8.10 million in 2026/27, against consumption of 10.40 million tonnes, of which 6.05 million go to feed, so about 2.3 million tonnes a year have to be imported; USDA forecasts imports of 2.25 million tonnes in 2025/26 and 2.30 million in 2026/27. By the Philippines' own customs declarations under HS 1005.90 the country imported 1,847,612 t of corn in 2025, worth USD 506.7 million, an average of USD 274 per tonne CIF, after 1,921,861 t at USD 275 in 2024. The origin mix turns with the South American and Southeast Asian harvests. In 2025 Brazil supplied 683,632 t (37.0%) at USD 250/t, Argentina 431,507 t (23.4%) at USD 257/t, Vietnam 398,248 t (21.6%) at USD 307/t and Myanmar 260,094 t (14.1%) at USD 290/t, with the United States at 37,477 t; in 2024 Myanmar had led with 28.8% and Argentina followed with 25.4%. Feed millers switch between corn and Australian feed wheat on price: USDA records feed wheat at USD 71 to 77/t below corn in July and August 2025, corn the cheaper grain by USD 4 to 20/t from September 2025 to January 2026, and corn at USD 305/t against feed wheat at USD 246/t in April 2026.

CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers feed-grade yellow corn CFR Batangas, Subic, Manila, Cebu, Iloilo, Davao and General Santos, in bulk on Panamax and Supramax tonnage or in containers for smaller mills. Access is set by tariff: the minimum access volume of 216,940 t enters at 5% and corn outside it at 15% under Executive Order 62 of 20 June 2024, which runs to 2028, against WTO bound rates of 35% and 50%. Every import needs the importer's Bureau of Plant Industry licence and an SPS import clearance (SPSIC) applied for online with an affidavit of feed use, a proforma invoice and a GMO declaration; the cargo must ship within 20 days of the clearance and arrive within 60 days from ASEAN origins or 90 days from Myanmar and origins outside ASEAN. GM corn needs a BPI biosafety permit for direct use of an event already authorised in the country of origin. The phytosanitary certificate carries the SPSIC number and the fumigation, and the certificate of analysis has to meet the BAI feed-corn standard: moisture 14% maximum, aflatoxin 50 ppb maximum, crude protein 8.6% minimum. Send the quantity, the port and berth, bulk or container, the importer of record and its SPSIC status, GM or non-GM, the shipment month and the payment terms, and the enquiry is screened and worked against them.

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The market in figures

Philippine corn imports, 2025 (HS 1005.90): 1,847,612 t · USD 506.7 m · USD 274/t CIF (2024: 1,921,861 t at USD 275/t)
Main origins, 2025: Brazil 683,632 t (37.0%) · Argentina 431,507 t (23.4%) · Vietnam 398,248 t (21.6%) · Myanmar 260,094 t (14.1%)
Balance, MY 2026/27 (USDA): Production 8.10 Mt · consumption 10.40 Mt (feed 6.05 Mt) · imports forecast 2.30 Mt
Tariff (EO 62, 2024–2028): 5% within the 216,940 t MAV · 15% outside it · WTO bound 35% / 50%
Import clearance: BPI licence · SPSIC: ship within 20 days, arrive within 60 days (ASEAN) or 90 days (Myanmar, non-ASEAN) · GM: BPI direct-use permit
Feed-corn standard (BAI): Moisture max 14% · aflatoxin max 50 ppb · protein min 8.6% · fat min 3.4% · fibre max 1.6% · impurities max 2%
Feed-wheat switch (USDA): Wheat USD 71–77/t below corn Jul–Aug 2025 · corn cheaper Sep 2025–Jan 2026 · corn USD 305/t vs wheat USD 246/t Apr 2026

Landed values are the importing country's declared CIF, not CBIL prices.

Questions buyers ask

What tariff does imported corn pay in the Philippines?: Under Executive Order 62 of 20 June 2024, which runs to 2028, corn within the minimum access volume of 216,940 t pays 5% and corn outside it 15%. The WTO bound rates are 35% and 50%, so the applied rates are well below them. The Department of Agriculture has proposed raising the access volume to 500,000 t; USDA reported in June 2026 that it had not been implemented.
What clearance does a corn cargo need before it ships?: The importer needs a Bureau of Plant Industry licence and an SPS import clearance (SPSIC), applied for online with an affidavit stating feed or food use, a proforma invoice and a GMO or non-GMO declaration. Corn clearances are not approved automatically. Once approved, the cargo must ship within 20 days and arrive within 60 days from ASEAN origins or 90 days from Myanmar and origins outside ASEAN, so the shipment month is fixed only after the clearance is in hand.
What quality does a Philippine feed miller buy?: The Bureau of Animal Industry feed-corn standard: moisture 14% maximum, aflatoxin 50 ppb maximum, crude protein 8.6% minimum, crude fat 3.4% minimum, crude fibre 1.6% maximum, ash 1.2% maximum and impurities 2% maximum, certified at load. The phytosanitary certificate must carry the SPSIC number and the fumigation, and GM corn needs a BPI biosafety permit for an event already approved in the origin country.
When do Philippine millers buy corn instead of feed wheat?: When corn is cheaper. Millers substitute Australian feed wheat for corn, and USDA's figures show the spread swinging both ways: feed wheat was USD 71 to 77/t below corn in July and August 2025, corn was the cheaper grain from September 2025 to January 2026, and in April 2026 corn reached USD 305/t against feed wheat at USD 246/t. Corn demand, and the timing of corn purchases, follow that spread.