Bills Introduced to Hike Tariffs on Indian Shrimp, Urge USTR to Act on Ag Subsidies
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., introduced a bill that would hike the tariff on imported shrimp from India from zero percent to 10% in 2024, 20% in 2025, and 40% in 2026, a move he said is justified by the subsidies received by Indian shrimp farmers. About 40% of U.S. imports of shrimp are from India, the Sept. 28 news release said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance, said: “India isn’t the dominant supplier because it is better at farming shrimp [than] the rest of the world. Rampant use of banned antibiotics in their aquaculture, tolerance for forced labor practices in their peeling sheds, and substantial export subsidies awarded by the Indian government are killing this market. American consumers and the U.S. shrimp industry deserve better and we are grateful for Senator Cassidy’s leadership in tackling this problem.”
There is an active antidumping case against Indian shrimp, (see 2308310044), but the rates range from 1.43% to 10.17%, with most firms facing a 3.88% rate.
Cassidy and four other Republican senators also introduced a bill called the Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act, which would require a task force led by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to make recommendations to Congress on how to deal with agriculture subsidies by trading partners.
“We appreciate Senator Cassidy and his colleagues for leading in the Senate on this critical issue for the U.S. rice industry. A WTO case against India’s rice subsidies is long overdue and long-term policy changes in India would help to make rice farmers from the U.S. and other origins that play by the rules, more competitive on the world market,” said Bobby Hanks, chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee and CEO of Supreme Rice.