US President Donald Trump has signalled that his administration could impose new tariffs on agricultural imports — including Indian rice and Canadian fertilisers — responding to complaints from American farmers that cheap foreign goods are hurting domestic producers.
The comments were made during a White House meeting where Trump announced $12 billion in new assistance for US farmers. He said imported farm products were putting pressure on local producers and repeated his commitment to act against what he described as unfair trade practices.
Trump specifically criticised what he characterised as the dumping of Indian rice in the US market, saying he would “take care” of the issue. Farmers have blamed falling rice prices on imports from countries such as India, Vietnam and Thailand, arguing that cheaper overseas produce is undercutting their crops.
“They shouldn’t be dumping,” Trump said. “I mean, I heard that, I heard that from others. You can’t do that.”
He also indicated that his administration could impose tariffs on fertiliser imports from Canada as a way to boost domestic production. Noting that much of the fertiliser used in the US is sourced from its northern neighbour, Trump said, “A lot of it does come in from Canada, and so we’ll end up putting very severe tariffs on that, if we have to, because that’s the way you want to bolster here,” adding, “And we can do it here. We can all do that here.”
The remarks come against the backdrop of broader economic pressures, including worries over inflation and consumer prices. Farmers — a core part of Trump’s political base — have been grappling with rising input costs and market volatility, much of it linked to the administration’s tariff-driven trade policies.
At the same time, efforts to stabilise trade ties with both Canada and India have faced hurdles. Earlier this year, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods, pointing to trade barriers and India’s energy purchases as justification. A US delegation is expected to travel to India this week for further negotiations, though officials do not expect a major breakthrough.
Trump has also repeatedly raised tariff concerns with Canada, including threats to increase duties on goods not covered under the North American trade agreement. His recent comments have fuelled speculation that the deal itself could come under renewed scrutiny.
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