MIAMI (AP) – If your husband or boyfriend of the week ruins Valentine’s Day, it’s not because of a lack of flowers.
As of February 14th, agricultural experts at Miami International Airport processed about 940 million stems, according to US customs and border protection. Approximately 90% of the fresh flowers sold in the US are sold on Valentine’s Day. The other 10% pass through Los Angeles.
Roses, carnations, pom poms, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophilas arrive in Miami mainly from Colombia and Ecuador to Miami, and on trips to florists and supermarkets in the US and Canada.
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Miami’s biggest flower importer is Avianca freight based in Medellin, Colombia. Over the past three weeks, the company has transported around 18,000 tons of flowers on 300 full cargo flights, senior vice president Diogo Elias said at a press conference in Miami last week.
“We transport flowers all year round, but specifically during Valentine’s season, we are more than double our capacity as demand is more than doubled,” Elias said.
According to Jimmy Morales, CEO of Miami-Dade, flowers continue to form one of the airport’s biggest imports. Last year, the airport received more than 3 million tonnes of cargo, with flowers accounting for around 400,000 tonnes, worth more than $1.6 billion.
“1,500 tonnes of flowers arrive every day, equivalent to 90,000 tonnes of flowers imports worth $450 million in January and February,” Morales said.
It’s a big job for CBP farming professionals, according to MIA Port Director Daniel Alonso.
“The invasive species caused $120 billion in annual economic and environmental losses to the United States, including losses in yield and quality of the American agricultural industry,” Alonso said.
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Columbia’s flower industry has been considering a 25% tariff recently as President Donald Trump has recently argued with South American country leaders about accepting flights carrying deported migrants. However, the trade dispute halted in late January after Colombia agreed to land the flight.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro had rejected two military aircraft tied to Colombia carrying immigrants. Peter accused Trump of not treating immigrants with dignity when he was deported, and threatened to retaliate against the United States by slapping a 25% increase in Colombian tariffs on US goods.
Officials at Friday’s press conference refused to answer questions about politics or tariffs.
