Miami, FL – As Valentine’s Day approaches, couples looking to celebrate their love don’t need to worry about a lack of flowers.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported that Miami International Airport has facilitated the processing of approximately 940 million stems of cut flowers leading up to February 14. The bulk of the fresh cut flowers sold in the United States—around 90%—arrive via Miami, while Los Angeles accounts for the remaining 10%.
Flowers such as roses, carnations, pompons, hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, and gypsophila are flown in predominantly from Colombia and Ecuador. These blooms travel on hundreds of flights into Miami before being distributed to florists and grocery stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Avianca Cargo, based in Medellín, Colombia, is the primary flower importer at Miami International Airport. In just three weeks, the airline has moved around 18,000 tons of flowers across 300 cargo flights, according to senior vice president Diogo Elias, who provided updates during a recent press briefing in Miami.
“Our standard operation involves transporting flowers year-round; however, during the Valentine’s Day season, we significantly increase our capacity due to the spike in demand,” noted Elias.
According to Miami-Dade’s chief operating officer, Jimmy Morales, flowers remain one of the most substantial imports at the airport. Last year, Miami International handled over 3 million tons of cargo, with flowers comprising nearly 400,000 tons valued at more than $1.6 billion.
“With an average of 1,500 tons of flowers arriving daily, we estimate that January and February will see 90,000 tons of flowers imported, translating to a value of around $450 million,” Morales stated.
The role of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s agricultural specialists is crucial, as they inspect bundles of flowers for potential plant pests, diseases, and foreign animal contaminants before they can enter the U.S. “Invasive species are known to have caused annual economic and environmental damages of about $120 billion in the United States, which includes losses in yield and quality affecting the agricultural sector,” said MIA port director Daniel Alonso.
Recently, Colombia’s flower industry faced the possibility of a 25% tariff due to tensions with the administration of former President Donald Trump over the acceptance of flights carrying deported immigrants. Fortunately, the trade dispute seemed to diminish at the end of January when Colombia consented to welcome the flights.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro had earlier turned away two U.S. military aircraft intended to return migrants, claiming that Trump’s administration was not treating immigrants humanely during deportation processes and alluding to possible retaliation in the form of increased tariffs on U.S. goods.
However, officials at the recent press conference refrained from discussing political matters or tariffs.