Mar 18, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC – The previous day, USA Rice President & CEO Peter Bachmann testified ahead of the Alternate Subcommittee of the U.S. Residence Committee on Ways & Near right here on advancing The US’s curiosity on the World Alternate Organization’s (WTO) 14th Ministerial Convention (MC14), slated to occur subsequent week in Cameroon. Bachmann used to be one among four witnesses providing feedback to legislators and the one glance representing the pursuits of agricultural producers.
USA Rice testified at a identical hearing in February 2024 within the leadup to the WTO’s Thirteenth Ministerial Convention (undercover agent USA Rice Day-to-day, February 8, 2024) thanks to the decided affect world rice price distortion has on the U.S. rice substitute.
“For neatly over 100 years, the U.S. has not only produced as regards to all of its rice however furthermore exported half of of it to better than 120 worldwide locations across the field,” Bachmann told legislators. “Unfortunately, over the closing 21 years, that import and export ratio has without warning shifted, inserting better than 35 American rice mills and hundreds of American family farmers at risk thanks to substitute distorting practices going on on the a lot of aspect of the globe…[over the last 21 years] rice imports right here bear grown by 257 p.c and they’re displacing better than $1.5 billion in home gross sales for our substitute.”
“This scenario just isn’t because we bear inefficient farmers. This scenario just isn’t thanks to President Trump’s reciprocal tariff insurance policies. Here’s because for years, Administrations bear let our opponents obtain away with subsidies that consequence in price distortions in as regards to all our export markets,” Bachmann testified. “The WTO has solutions to form certain our substitute can compete somewhat. Unfortunately, those solutions bear not been enforced. India has demanded eternal exceptions to market price assist at every ministerial meeting since 2013, and this ask has attain up repeatedly at negotiating conferences within the lead-up to MC14. An American rice farmer isn’t competing in opposition to an Indian rice farmer – they’re competing in opposition to the Indian authorities.”
USA Rice has been advocating for the U.S. to take a dispute settlement case in opposition to India’s home assist insurance policies for as regards to a decade. On Monday, the Sing of job of the U.S. Alternate Representative filed its most up-to-the-minute counter notification on the WTO, exposing India’s correct extra levels of assist for rice and wheat within the 2023/24 slash 365 days (undercover agent USA Rice Day-to-day, March 16, 2026).
Bachmann concluded: “The WTO is a chief asset for U.S. agriculture and rice farmers. It wants to be extra vivid, not less, and we prefer stronger compliance to reduction global substitute. It’s serious that our opponents abide by the identical solutions that the U.S. has agreed to follow. Within the event that they attain not, these solutions will bear to be enforced as early and successfully as possible.”
Residence Ways & Near Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-MO) made an look on the hearing and raised the importance of rice and exports for his southeast Missouri Congressional District, providing an change for Bachmann to highlight the importance of USTR’s most up-to-the-minute Piece 301 investigations and hopes for a rice-particular Piece 301 investigation within the weeks to attain.
