Basmati growers in Punjab, Haryana fear deep setback for grain exports to US
The punitive tariff rate — among the highest imposed on any US trading partner — stems from Trump's August 7 executive order adding a 25% penalty for India's Russian oil purchases on top of an existing 25% reciprocal tariff, with the combined levy taking effect August 28.
'It's a double whammy,' said Ranjit Singh Jossan, vice-president of the basmati exporters association, explaining that India exports nearly 300,000 tonnes (worth $350 million) to the US annually and the steep tariffs will hit exporters hard while giving Pakistan—another major producer, with a 19% levy on its goods —a crucial edge.
Unlike sectors such as smartphones and pharmaceuticals that remain exempt from Trump's tariff offensive, basmati rice faces the full burden of America's punishment for India's energy relationship with Russia.
While Trump raised the rate on Indian imports from an initially planned 26% to 50%, it lowered tariffs on Pakistani from 29% to 19%, making Indian grain 31% costlier.
'India's loss is Pakistan's gain,' Jossan said. 'Traders from the neighbouring country have already started taking orders from the US, but Indian traders are unable to negotiate because of the cost disparity.'
A tonne of basmati purchased in the US at $1,200 will cost an additional $600 if imported from India, compared to just $228 extra from Pakistan.
'At this moment, we do not stand a chance to sell our produce in the US,' Jossan added.
The new tariff comes at a particularly vulnerable time for the sector, as basmati prices are already sliding. Popular varieties such as 1121 and 1509 have dropped from ₹4,500 per quintal in 2022-23 to ₹3,500-3,600 in 2023-24, and could fall further to ₹3,000, industry sources fear.
The decline threatens to push farmers away from basmati cultivation altogether. 'The trend of falling prices may push farmers to abandon basmati in favour of regular paddy, which now has a Minimum Support Price of over ₹2,400 per quintal,' said Gurbakshish Singh, a farmer from Tarn Taran, a border district of Punjab.
Singh's family has cultivated basmati for many years, but he remains apprehensive about the lack of price stability.
The uncertainty is already reflected in cultivation patterns. Punjab's basmati area has shrunk from 7.63 lakh hectares in 2015-16 to 6.39 lakh hectares in 2024-25. Popular varieties like 1509, 1121, and 1718 cover over 80% of the area but fetch declining prices.
Haryana's cultivation area has fluctuated between 6.5-7.1 lakh hectares in recent years, standing at 6.8 lakh hectares in 2025.
Punjab and Haryana produce premium quality grain with varieties such as 1121 and 1509 famous globally, accounting for 40% of India's total basmati exports. Punjab alone produces nearly 40% of the country's basmati rice.
'The quantity of basmati exports to the US is just a small portion of total exports from India, but it disturbs the overall trade and cropping pattern,' said Jagdeep Singh Aulakh, a farmer from Badshahpur village in Karnal district, Haryana.
Jossan said smaller exporters with annual turnovers of about ₹100 crore are bearing the brunt. They have slashed procurement prices from ₹7,100 to ₹6,200 per quintal, pushing down wholesale domestic prices from ₹71 to ₹62 per kg, with retail prices likely to follow.
Millers face huge losses due to unsold basmati stocks piling up. 'Exporters won't buy unless the situation improves,' Jossan said.
Anil Mittal chairman-cum-managing director of KRBL Limited, which sells premium grain under Indian Gate basmati rice, said that he is hopeful that the situation will not last for a long time. 'The Indian government is actively negotiating with the US. We have good brands, which have no match elsewhere in the world,' he added.
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