Valentine flower imports increase at Miami airport, despite tariffs and higher costs, officials say

MIAMI (AP) — Winged babies shooting heart-shaped arrows may get the most recognition on Valentine’s Day, but the real magic behind millions of romantic bouquets happens in a cargo warehouse at a South Florida airport.

Agronomists at Miami International Airport will process approximately 990 million cut flower stems in the weeks leading up to Feb. 14, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Approximately 90% of fresh cut flowers are sold at this price Valentine’s day Immigrants in the United States arrive via Miami, while the other 10% pass through Los Angeles.

Roses, carnations, pom-poms, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums and gypsophilas arrive in Miami on hundreds of flights, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, on their journey to florists and supermarkets in the United States and Canada.

Miami’s largest flower importer is Avianca Cargo, headquartered in Medellín, Colombia. The company transported about 19,000 tons of flowers on 320 full-cargo flights in preparation for Valentine’s Day, CEO Diogo Elias said in Miami on Friday. They are operating more than twice as many flights as normal.

“We send flowers all year long, but Valentine’s Day is special,” Elias said. “We’re focusing more on roses, especially red roses. Currently, more than 50-60% are red roses.”

Customers purchasing flowers are likely to see an increase in prices this year. That’s largely due to tariffs imposed on imports from Colombia and Ecuador last year and a new minimum wage that went into effect in Colombia this year, said Christine Boldt, vice president of the Flower Importers Association of America.

“This adds a significant amount of dollars to the bouquets that come in,” Boldt said. “Every consumer will have to face additional costs.”

Airport manager Ralph Cutié said that despite the high prices, flowers continue to constitute one of MIA’s biggest imports. The airport received around 3.5 million tonnes of cargo last year, of which flowers accounted for around 400,000 tonnes. More than a quarter of these flowers are shipped before Valentine’s Day; This indicates an increase of 6% compared to last year.

“Any mother, wife, girlfriend who gets her flowers for Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day in Omaha, Nebraska, there’s a good chance those flowers passed through our airport,” Cutié said. “And that’s something we’re very proud of.”

CBP senior official Daniel Alonso said CBP agricultural experts are checking the flower bunches for potential harmful plants, pests and foreign animal diseases that will enter the country. Inspectors find an average of 40-50 plant pests per day; The most common are moths. Pests are turned over to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which determines the potential threat.

“Our rigorous process is vital to protect the floral and agricultural industries by ensuring our imported flowers do not cause any pests or harmful diseases,” Alonso said.