WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann
testified before the Trade Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means here on advancing America’s interest at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), slated to take place next week in Cameroon. Bachmann was one of four witnesses providing feedback to legislators and the only witness representing the interests of agricultural producers.
USA Rice testified at a similar hearing in February 2024 in the leadup to the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference (see
USA Rice Daily, February 8, 2024) because of the distinct impact world rice price distortion has on the U.S. rice industry.
“For well over 100 years, the U.S. has not only produced nearly all of its rice but also exported half of it to more than 120 countries around the world,” Bachmann told legislators. “Unfortunately, over the last 21 years, that import and export ratio has rapidly shifted, putting more than 35 American rice mills and thousands of American family farmers at risk because of trade distorting practices happening on the other side of the globe…[over the last 21 years] rice imports here have grown by 257 percent and they’re displacing more than $1.5 billion in domestic sales for our industry.”
“This situation is not because we have inefficient farmers. This situation is not because of President Trump’s reciprocal tariff policies. This is because for years, Administrations have let our competitors get away with subsidies that result in price distortions in nearly all our export markets,” Bachmann testified. “The WTO has rules to ensure our industry can compete fairly. Unfortunately, those rules have not been enforced. India has demanded permanent exceptions to market price support at every ministerial meeting since 2013, and this demand has come up repeatedly at negotiating meetings in the lead-up to MC14. An American rice farmer isn’t competing against an Indian rice farmer – they’re competing against the Indian government.”
USA Rice has been advocating for the U.S. to take a dispute settlement case against India’s domestic support policies for nearly a decade. On Monday, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative filed its latest counter notification at the WTO, exposing India’s true excess levels of support for rice and wheat in the 2023/24 crop year (see
USA Rice Daily, March 16, 2026).
Bachmann concluded: “The WTO is an important asset for U.S. agriculture and rice farmers. It needs to be more effective, not less, and we need stronger compliance to support global trade. It is critical that our competitors abide by the same rules that the U.S. has agreed to follow. If they do not, these rules need to be enforced as early and effectively as possible.”
House Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) made an appearance at the hearing and raised the importance of rice and exports for his southeast Missouri Congressional District, providing an opportunity for Bachmann to highlight the importance of USTR’s recent Section 301 investigations and hopes for a rice-specific Section 301 investigation in the weeks to come.