WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump announced a multi-billion-dollar farm support package on Monday while sharply criticizing agricultural imports from India and other Asian nations, saying he intends to use tariffs aggressively to shield U.S. farmers from what he described as unfair competition.
Opening a White House roundtable with farmers, lawmakers, and senior officials, Trump said the administration would direct “$12 billion in economic assistance to American farmers,” funded by revenue the U.S. is collecting from tariffs on trading partners. He claimed the nation was “taking in trillions of dollars” from these duties and argued that foreign competitors “took advantage of us like nobody’s ever seen.”
Framing farmers as “an indispensable national asset,” Trump said tariff authority was central to stabilizing the farm economy amid what he called inherited inflation and weak commodity prices. He argued that trade pressure was essential for reviving American agriculture.
India featured prominently during a discussion on rising rice imports, which a Louisiana producer said had severely affected southern growers. Meryl Kennedy, CEO of Kennedy Rice Mill, told the President that the U.S. market was being hit by countries “dumping rice into this country today,” calling for stronger action against major suppliers such as India, Thailand, and China. She said subsidised imports were undermining domestic producers and noted that India is currently the subject of a WTO case over rice support programs.
Trump questioned why such imports were permitted and pressed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to review options. When told that Indian companies own two of the largest rice brands in the U.S. retail market, Trump responded, “All right, and we’ll take care of it… Tariffs, again, solves the problem in two minutes.”
Tariffs also dominated a broader conversation on soybeans and other crops affected by global trade practices. Trump said he recently spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and expected additional purchases of U.S. soybeans. “China… is buying a tremendous amount of soybeans,” he said. “I think he’s going to do even more than he promised to do.”
Bessent said the Busan framework negotiated with China included commitments for purchases of “at least $12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans this growing season,” increasing to at least 25 million tons annually for the next three years. He described the $11–12 billion farm relief package as a necessary “liquidity bridge” and said Trump was “ushering in a new golden age for agriculture.”
Several farmers linked India-related concerns to broader questions about global competition. Kennedy called rice “a national security issue” and warned that foreign subsidised rice was displacing American grain in key markets, including Puerto Rico. She said domestic producers were facing import levels “we’ve never seen.”
Trump repeatedly argued that tariff authority—currently under review in a Supreme Court case—was essential for countering such practices. He suggested past restrictions on presidential tariff power had weakened U.S. competitiveness, linking the discussion to manufacturing losses.
Some producers urged the administration to move faster. Iowa farmer Cordt Holub thanked Trump for the “bridge payment” and said domestic policies such as expanded E15 fuel usage could strengthen markets. Trump signaled support, calling E15 “a big deal.”
Administration officials at the event also criticized the condition of the rural economy under President Biden. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said “150,000 farms closed” during the previous administration and that interest expenses had climbed sharply. He argued that the new relief package was necessary to fill what he described as a deep economic gap.
India-U.S. agricultural trade has grown significantly over the past decade, with India exporting basmati, rice products, spices, and seafood while importing U.S. almonds, cotton, and pulses. However, disputes over subsidies, market access, and WTO cases—especially involving rice and sugar—have periodically strained talks.
China remains the largest importer of U.S. soybeans, and tariff-driven changes since 2018 have continued to shape global commodity flows. Trump’s renewed emphasis on tariffs suggests further uncertainty for Asian agricultural exporters in the months ahead. (Source: IANS)
