US President Donald Trump has warned of new tariffs on agricultural imports, saying that countries like India should not be “dumping” rice into the United States market.
Trump made the announcement on Monday during a White House roundtable with representatives of the farming and agriculture sector as well as key members of his cabinet.
The President unveiled USD 12 billion in fresh support for American farmers.
During the meeting, one of the representatives told Trump that rice producers in the southern part of the country were “really struggling” and that other nations, especially India and Thailand, were “dumping” rice into the US.
“They shouldn’t be dumping,” Trump said. “I mean, I heard that, I heard that from others. You can’t do that.”
The President further noted that the issue is very easy to settle with tariffs.
“Will get it solved very quickly. We just need the countries. Just give us the names of the countries. Tariffs, again. It solves the problem in two minutes,” Trump said.
India exported about 2.34 lakh tonnes of rice to the US in the 2024 fiscal, less than 5 per cent of its total global basmati rice exports of 52.4 lakh tonnes.
According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), West Asia remains the dominant destination for Indian rice.
Trump’s new tariff threat comes months after the US administration imposed a 50 per cent duty on Indian goods, including a 25 per cent punitive tariff over India’s purchase of cheap Russian oil.
Meanwhile, the trade discussions between New Delhi and Washington are still going on, though no major breakthrough has been achieved yet. A US delegation is expected to visit India this week for the next round of negotiations.
Trump’s fresh tariff threat: ‘India should not be dumping rice into US market’
