Donald Trump's rice tariffs threat unlikely to have severe impact on exports

NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump's latest threat to impose fresh tariffs on rice is unlikely to have a severe impact on Indian exports. "India exported $392 million worth of rice to the US in FY2025, just 3% of its global rice exports, and already faces tariffs of about 53% in the US market; 86% of these shipments are premium basmati. New duties would scarcely dent Indian exporters, who have strong markets elsewhere, but would make rice costlier for American households," said trade research body GTRI. A bulk of the 6 million tonne exported to the US may be headed to kitchens of Indian-origin Americans or those on visas. The only substitute for basmati rice can be from Pakistan but the quantities are much lower. Overall, a bulk of India's rice exports consists of non-basmati rice.