New Delhi, Dec. 10 -- Rice firms on Tuesday said they were confident about steady shipments abroad since India, the world's largest exporter, catered to a well-diversified market, making the business resilient to shocks, comments made in response to President Donald Trump's fresh signal he could impose new tariffs on the Indian grain. At a White House event, President Trump said he would "take care" of alleged dumping of Indian rice into the US even as a trade deal between the two countries remained elusive amid protracted negotiations. "With the imposition of a 50% tariff, the duty has risen by 40 percentage points. Despite this sharp hike, exports have continued, reflecting the product's essential nature in the consumer basket," a spokesperson for the Indian Rice Exporters' Federation said. Indian rice in the US is predominantly consumed by communities of the Gulf (countries) and Subcontinent ethnicity, and demand continued to "expand steadily", the group said. Trump's remarks came as some farmers, one of his core voter bases, blamed imports for falling rice prices, alleging countries such as India, Vietnam and Thailand were hurting their produce. Dumping refers to export of a product at a price cheaper than average international prices or the domestic cost of production. India exported 274,213 tons of basmati rice, worth $337.10 million, and 61,341 tons of non-basmati varieties to the US valued at $54.64 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, the group said. The US is only the 4th-largest market for the Indian long-grained premium variety. "While the US is an important destination, India's rice exports are well-diversified across global markets. The federation, in close coordination with the Government of India, continues to deepen existing trade partnerships and open new markets for Indian rice," said Dev Garg, vice-president of the key industry body. India is estimated to ship about 25 million tonne of rice this season, much of it to the Middle-east, Asia and Africa. Trump's threat of fresh levies on Indian imports comes despite high consumer prices, which has sparked voter angst. During the White House meeting, a Trump aide also brought up an ongoing dispute over India's farm subsidies at the World Trade Organisation. While India mainly subsidizes crop inputs, such as fertilisers and power, the US pumps massive subsidies into its farm sector mainly to keep produce competitive for exports, according to trade economist Biswajit Dhar. US farm subsidies, as reported to the WTO, are one of the highest in the world, increasing to $216 billion in 2022 from $61 billion in 1995....