News Desk
India, once a nation dependent on American wheat shipments to stave off famine, now finds itself accused of “dumping” rice into the United States. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump told a White House roundtable that India’s rice exports were hurting American farmers and threatened new tariffs to “solve the problem.” The irony was not lost on trade experts. In 2025, India exported nearly $392 million worth of rice to the U.S., about 2.34 lakh tonnes, most of it premium basmati. That rice now sits on American dinner tables, a staple for immigrant families and increasingly popular among mainstream consumers.
The story of how India turned the tables is remarkable. In the mid‑1960s, the country was on the brink of mass hunger. Droughts in 1965 and 1966 left millions vulnerable. India relied heavily on U.S. food aid under the PL‑480 program, importing low‑grade wheat that was often fit for animal feed. Chapatis made from that reddish “lal gehun” became a symbol of desperation.
It was against this backdrop that Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri began laying the groundwork for change. His tenure lasted barely two years, but his slogan “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” captured the urgency of feeding the nation. Shastri encouraged the adoption of new agricultural methods and backed the introduction of high‑yielding wheat varieties. He appointed Chidambaram Subramaniam as agriculture minister, who worked closely with scientists like M.S. Swaminathan and international partners from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. The seeds of the Green Revolution were planted.
When Shastri died suddenly in 1966, Indira Gandhi inherited a nation still dependent on foreign grain. She made food security a political priority. To carry that forward, she entrusted the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to Chidambaram Subramaniam, who had held the same portfolio under Shastri. His leadership ensured that the political will Indira Gandhi provided was matched by technical expertise and institutional drive.
Her government distributed the new dwarf wheat varieties, invested in irrigation, and offered subsidies for fertilizers and electricity. Minimum Support Prices were introduced to protect farmers. Between 1967 and 1971, grain production surged by more than 30 percent. By the early 1970s, India had reduced imports dramatically. By the 1980s, it was not only self‑sufficient but exporting food.
The Green Revolution was not just political will. It was also scientific achievement. Varieties like Kalyan Sona and Sonalika transformed yields. Norman Borlaug’s work in Mexico provided the genetic base, but Indian scientists adapted the seeds to local conditions. Farmers in Punjab and Haryana embraced the new technology, turning those states into the breadbasket of India.
There were costs. Heavy fertilizer use degraded soil, and groundwater depletion became severe. Yet the achievement was undeniable. India had moved from famine to surplus in a single generation.
Today, as the U.S. President threatens tariffs on Indian rice, the contrast with the 1960s is stark. India, once reliant on American aid, now supplies basmati to American households. Rice consumption in the U.S. has more than doubled since the 1970s, driven by immigrant communities and changing diets. Indian basmati, with its aroma and texture, has no real substitute.
The journey from dependency to exporter is a story of resilience. It is about Shastri’s vision, Indira Gandhi’s determination, and the scientists who bred seeds that changed history. It is about millions of farmers who adopted new methods and fed a nation. And it is about how India, once at the mercy of foreign grain shipments, now finds itself feeding the world.
