The Philippines is the world's sixth largest mango-producing country, and as an exporter it relies on maintaining access to markets to sustain economic viability and development. Japan, a significant export market for the Philippines, recently implemented a new 'positive list' MRL (maximum residue limit) system, i.e., a detectable pesticide must have a MRL set domestically as a government standard and at the international level by the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues. Increasing levels of residue monitoring have led to a reported five-fold increase in MRL breaches for food commodities imported into Japan (e.g. in 2005 there were a total of 72 breaches detected, but by 2006 the number had climbed to over 110 for the first quarter following the launch of the new MRL system). The focus of this project was to assess the capacity of the Philippine mango industry to respond to the challenges posed by the increasing scrutiny and regulatory change in export markets. This involved assessments of analytical and technical capacity and a residue risk assessment (i.e., gap analysis with regard to standards in importing countries). Other tasks included an evaluation of current regulatory mechanisms with respect to gaining pesticide access, a review of current pest management systems, an examination of current quality control procedures and an attempt to identify what linkages currently exist between the various sectors.