Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you

MIAMI – If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it is not due to a scarcity of flowers.

Within the run as much as Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami Worldwide Airport have processed about 940 million stems of minimize flowers, based on U.S. Customs and Border Safety. Round 90% of the recent minimize flowers being bought for Valentine’s Day in the US come by way of Miami, whereas the opposite 10% go by way of Los Angeles.

Roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophila arrive on lots of of flights, principally from Colombia and Ecuador, to Miami on their journey to florists and supermarkets throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Miami’s largest flower importer is Avianca Cargo, primarily based in Medellín, Colombia. Up to now three weeks, the corporate has transported about 18,000 tons of flowers on 300 full cargo flights, senior vp Diogo Elias stated throughout a information convention final week in Miami.

“We transport flowers all 12 months spherical, however particularly in the course of the Valentine’s season, we greater than double our capability as a result of there’s greater than double the demand,” Elias stated.

Flowers proceed to make up one of many airport’s largest imports, Miami-Dade chief operation officer Jimmy Morales stated. The airport acquired greater than 3 million tons of cargo final 12 months, with flowers accounting for practically 400,000 tons, price greater than $1.6 billion.

“With 1,500 tons of flowers arriving each day, that equals 90,000 tons of flower imports price $450 million simply in January and February,” Morales stated.

It is a huge job for CBP agriculture specialists, who examine the bundles of flowers for probably dangerous plant, pest and overseas animal ailments from coming into the nation, MIA port director Daniel Alonso stated.

“Invasive species have brought about $120 billion in annual financial and environmental losses to the US, together with the yield and high quality losses for the American agriculture business,” Alonso stated.

Colombia’s flower business was just lately taking a look at a possible 25% tariff, as President Donald Trump quarreled with the South American nation’s management over accepting flights carrying deported immigrants. However the commerce dispute got here to a halt in late January, after Colombia agreed to permit the flights to land.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had beforehand rejected two Colombia-bound U.S. navy aircrafts carrying migrants. Petro accused Trump of not treating immigrants with dignity throughout deportation and threatened to retaliate in opposition to the U.S. by slapping a 25% improve in Colombian tariffs on U.S. items.

Officers at Friday’s information convention declined to reply any questions on politics or tariffs.