Letter to United States Trade Representative Ambassador Greer - Rice Section 301 Investigation Request

Ambassador Jamieson Greer

United States Trade Representative

Office of the United States Trade Representative

600 17th Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20508

Dear Ambassador Greer,

We want to thank you for your dedication to elevating the role of U.S. agriculture within the

Trump Administration’s America First Trade Policy. During this critical time, when American

farmers and ranchers are trying to rebuild economically, your continued support is of paramount

importance and is greatly appreciated.

We applaud your recent efforts to initiate a series of Section 301 investigations to address unfair

actions by trading partners and for continuing to hold the line at the World Trade Organization

through filing the fourth counter notification against India’s domestic support for rice. It is

unconscionable that India continues to subsidize its rice market at 86% of market value for

2023/2024, which is an eight-fold increase above its 10% maximum subsidy commitment. U.S.

rice farmers are directly, negatively impacted by this unfair, market-distorting subsidy, and we

thank you for taking it seriously.

We were also encouraged by your statement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the

Administration’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs in

late February regarding a rice-specific Section 301 investigation. As such, we respectfully

request expedited consideration of a rice-specific Section 301 investigation into nations unfairly

harming our domestic rice producers.

The U.S. rice industry is at a crossroads, and we need an effective tariff policy to hold our

competitors accountable and ensure producers in our states can compete on a more level playing

field. Our rice industry employs 125,000 Americans and produces over 20 billion pounds of rice

annually—enough to meet domestic demand and sustain exports. However, the U.S. rice trade

surplus is eroding rapidly and threatening thousands of family-owned family farms and domestic

rice processing facilities. Unfortunately, over the past two decades, that import and export ratio

has rapidly shifted. Over the last 21 years, rice imports into the United States have grown 257%,

and now displace over $1.5 billion in domestic sales annually. Without intervention stopping

unfair trade practices, this trend will force American farmers out of business and send our rice

processing jobs offshore. Because of the broad scope of the problem, we encourage USTR to 

consider a rice-specific Section 301 investigation that focuses on many nations from across the 

globe engaged in unfair policies, acts, or practices damaging our domestic industry, including, 

but not limited to: India, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Brazil, and the European Union. 

A broad-based, rice-specific Section 301 investigation would also limit the issue of transshipment, 

mitigating the opportunity for countries to circumvent affirmative determinations and infiltrate 

the U.S. market by resetting trade flows.

American rice farmers can compete with any farmer anywhere in the world, provided they are on

a level playing field. Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to continuing to

partner with you to protect our domestic industries from nefarious foreign practices.