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.
US President Donald Trump said India should not be “dumping” rice into the U.S. market and said he will “take care” of the issue, emphasising that tariffs would easily solve the “problem.”
This comes amid United States Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker's visit to New Delhi and Bengaluru from December 7 to 11.
The visit is expected to sharpen the strategic focus of the US-India partnership at a time when both sides are navigating economic friction, geopolitical volatility and rapid technological shifts.
According to the US Embassy, Hooker will prioritise advancing the US-India strategic partnership, deepening economic and commercial ties, expanding American exports, and accelerating collaboration in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and space exploration.
Her visit comes amid renewed efforts in Washington and New Delhi to stabilise ties after weeks of heightened tensions over the Trump administration’s 50% tariff on Indian goods and India’s continued purchase of Russian energy.
On Monday, Trump hosted a White House roundtable with farming and agriculture representatives, joined by key cabinet members including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
He announced USD 12 billion in federal aid for farmers.
Meryl Kennedy, who runs her family’s agribusiness, Kennedy Rice Mill in Louisiana, told Trump that rice producers in the southern United States are “really struggling” and that other countries are “dumping” rice into the U.S. market.
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