National Corn Competitiveness Board (NCCB) said removing the restrictions on exporting corn would give farmers enough elbow room to ensure their profitability, particularly when farm-gate prices are too low. NCCB Executive Vice Chairman Roderico R. Bioco said opening up the global market for local corn serves as a viable option for the sector and could insulate them from the decline in the farm-gate price of corn. NCCB official noted that the Philippines has a big opportunity to export corn within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations region. Bioco explained that the country could capitalize on the differences in corn-planting seasons among Southeast Asian countries.