Trump signals fresh curbs on Indian rice imports amid trade talks

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to slap fresh tariffs on rice imported from India, alleging exporters are “dumping” cheap rice into American markets in remarks made as a US trade delegation visits New Delhi this week.

The comments came during a White House event unveiling a $12 billion aid package for American farmers, where Trump responded to complaints from domestic growers.

“They shouldn’t be dumping. I mean, I heard that, I heard that from others. You can’t do that,” he said. “We’ll take care of it.”

The warning landed as a US negotiating team led by Rick Switzer, a senior official at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, reached New Delhi for two days of talks. The delegation includes Brendan Lynch, the Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia. On the Indian side, discussions are being led by Rajesh Agrawal, India’s chief trade negotiator and an additional secretary in the commerce ministry.

The two sides are seeking to finalize the first tranche of a proposed bilateral trade agreement that has been under discussion for several months, with market access for agricultural products among the sticking points.

Analysts and Indian exporters said the tariff threat is unlikely to significantly hurt India’s rice exports, given the US accounts for only a small share of overall shipments and high tariffs on Indian rice already exist.

According to the Indian Rice Exporters Federation, increased duties would largely burden American consumers rather than dent Indian exporters’ revenues.

The looming tariff threat, coming just as trade talks resume, raises fresh uncertainty around the fate of the proposed India‑US Bilateral Trade Agreement, injecting volatility into an already fraught negotiation process.