Trump Warns of Tariffs on Indian Rice, Canadian Fertilizer in $12B Aid Event

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Monday of potential new tariffs on Indian rice and Canadian fertilizer imports during a White House event announcing $12 billion in aid for American farmers struggling with market pressures.

Speaking at the roundtable, Trump addressed complaints from farmers that cheaper foreign agricultural products were undercutting domestic prices. He specifically criticized what he described as dumping of Indian rice into the U.S. market, along with similar imports from Vietnam and Thailand, which farmers say have contributed to falling rice prices. "They shouldn't be dumping," Trump said. "I mean, I heard that, I heard that from others. You can't do that."

Trump also targeted fertilizer imports from Canada, a major supplier of potash used by U.S. growers. "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," he said. "And we can do it here. We can all do that here." The president questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on whether India had an exemption for rice tariffs. Bessent replied, "No, sir. We're still working on their trade deal."