President Donald Trump told farming representatives at a White House roundtable that India should not be “dumping” rice into the U.S. market and vowed to “take care” of the issue, saying tariffs would quickly resolve the problem. The meeting, held with agriculture and farm leaders and several cabinet officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, also included Trump’s announcement of $12 billion in federal aid for farmers.
Meryl Kennedy, who operates Kennedy Rice Mill in Louisiana, told the president southern U.S. rice producers are “really struggling” because imports from other countries have been undercutting the market. When pressed by Trump on which countries were involved, Kennedy named India and Thailand, and said China had been shipping rice into Puerto Rico — a market that previously absorbed substantial volumes of U.S. rice but has not purchased U.S. rice in years. Kennedy said the influx of cheaper rice has been ongoing for years and has intensified recently.
Kennedy urged strengthening tariffs already in place; Trump said he understood and asked Treasury Secretary Bessent whether India had exemptions on rice. Bessent said the administration was still working on India’s trade deal. Trump said tariffs would make the issue “so easy to settle,” asserting they could be put in place quickly and that a decision could be made “in one day.” He linked the rice complaints to broader concerns about manufacturing moving overseas and criticized prior administrations for not imposing tariffs on imports, which he said contributed to losses in industries such as autos and semiconductors.
Kennedy also alleged that some major retail brands had been acquired by foreign interests that might favor imported rice. When Trump asked who she meant, she answered “Indians,” and Trump replied, “We’ll take care of it. It’s so easy.” The administration is also awaiting a Supreme Court decision on its use of emergency powers to impose tariffs after lower courts found that use unlawful; Trump said a win there would be important for enforcing tariffs.
Context on India’s rice trade: India is the world’s largest rice producer at about 150 million tonnes and accounted for roughly 28% of the global market. In 2024–25 India was the top exporter, with about a 30.3% share of global rice exports, according to the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF). The India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) reports India exported about 234,000 tonnes of rice to the U.S. in fiscal 2024 — under 5% of its total basmati rice exports of roughly 5.24 million tonnes. West Asia remains the dominant destination for Indian rice, and varieties such as Sona Masoori are preferred in markets including the U.S. and Australia.
The article noted the Trump administration has already imposed heavy duties on Indian imports — including a 50% tariff described as among the highest globally — and a 25% reciprocal tariff tied to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. IREF National President Prem Garg characterized the 25% reciprocal tariff more as a temporary “hurdle” than a permanent barrier, saying India still retains a pricing edge over competitors such as Vietnam and Pakistan and can protect or expand its presence in the U.S. market through strategic planning, diversification and flexibility.
