WASHINGTON, DC — Yesterday, President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order suspending the countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco, which have been in place since April 7, 2021.
“Rice farmers applaud President Trump for recognizing the challenges facing U.S. farmers and his decisive action working to suspend the Moroccan phosphate duties, which will help balance the fertilizer market and make this key input more affordable for producers,” said Fred Zaunbrecher, Louisiana rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers Board. “Phosphate fertilizer is a key nutrient in the production of rice, and this immediate action will help strengthen the global supply chain. The suspension is a welcome sign, and we encourage the Administration and lawmakers to end the duties on phosphate from Morocco that have been in place since 2021.”
In April, Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the Lowering Input Costs for American Farmers Act (S. 4418) to eliminate tariffs and countervailing duties (CVDs) on phosphate fertilizer imports from Morocco. The Lowering Input Costs for American Farmers Act is the latest in a series of bills that have been introduced in recent months that are working to lower fertilizer costs, increase American storage and capacity, and ensure vital inputs are designated as critical minerals (see
USA Rice Daily, November 7, 2025,
USA Rice Daily, March 26, 2026,
USA Rice Daily, April 13, 2026, and
USA Rice Daily, May 7, 2026).
Additionally, USA Rice has also been engaged with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on this issue, where at a recent forum in McKinney, Texas, Arkansas rice farmer Joe Mencer shared the concerns of many about the rising fertilizer costs and challenges it poses to their operations (see
USA Rice Daily, June 9, 2026).