India says no dumping in premium basmati rice exports to US

NEW DELHI, Dec 15 (Reuters) - India rejected on Monday U.S. accusations that it is "dumping" rice in the United States, saying its rice exports are primarily premium-grade basmati which typically commands higher prices than non-basmati varieties.

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that more tariffs could be imposed on Indian rice, accusing India of "dumping" its shipments into the U.S. market, referring to a practice whereby a product is exported at a price lower than its normal price.

"We don’t see a prima facie case of dumping, and as far as we know, the U.S. has not started any anti-dumping investigation either," Indian trade secretary Rajesh Agrawal told a news conference.

In August, Trump doubled tariffs on imports from India to as much as 50%, hitting exports of textiles, chemicals and food items such as shrimp.

India, the world's largest rice exporter, shipped 20.2 million metric tons of rice in the 2024/25 financial year ending in March, including 335,554 tons to the United States, of which 274,213 tons were basmati rice.

A team led by Agrawal met U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Rick Switzer in Delhi last week to discuss bilateral trade including talks on a proposed trade pact.