Colombia’s Flower Growers Fight New US Tariff as Duty Hits 12.5%
Trade · Colombia
Key Facts
—The tariff. A US duty on a set of Colombian products rose from 10% to 12.5% on July 24, 2026.
—The sector. Cut flowers are among the goods affected, alongside some apparel, foods and cosmetics.
—The exposure. In 2025 the United States took about 80% of Colombia’s flower exports by value.
—The jobs. Colombia’s floriculture industry sustains roughly 130,000 jobs, most held by women.
—The cost. Industry group ANDI estimates about US$5 billion of Colombian exports to the US is at risk across affected sectors.
Colombia’s flower growers, who supply a large share of the bouquets sold in the United States, are pushing back against a rising US tariff. A duty on affected Colombian goods climbed to 12.5% on July 24, squeezing one of the country’s signature export industries.
A higher duty on flowers
A US tariff on a specific set of Colombian products rose from 10% to 12.5% on July 24, 2026. Cut flowers sit among the affected goods, together with some apparel and textiles, candies and chocolates, certain processed foods, cosmetics and select manufactured items.
The increase compounds a 10% duty first imposed in 2025, the first US tariff on Colombian flowers in more than a decade. That earlier move reversed the near zero-tariff access Colombian growers had long enjoyed under the US-Colombia trade agreement.
For a foreign reader, a tariff is simply a tax that an importing country charges on goods arriving at its border. When the US raises a tariff, the immediate effect is that the Colombian exporter must either absorb the extra cost by cutting its own profit, or pass it on to the American buyer—typically a wholesaler, a supermarket chain or a florist. In a business where freshness is everything and a bouquet cannot be stored for long, that squeeze arrives fast.
Why the stakes are high
The United States accounted for about 80% of Colombia’s flower exports by value in 2025, making the market difficult to replace. Colombia is one of the world’s largest suppliers of cut flowers, shipping hundreds of millions of stems for peak dates such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
The industry sustains roughly 130,000 jobs, the majority held by women, many in rural areas around Bogotá and Medellín. Growers warn that higher duties could erode margins and pressure employment across the supply chain.
That concentration of employment matters because floriculture is not a sector where workers can easily shift to another crop or factory job. The skills involved in cultivating, cutting, grading and packing delicate stems are specialised, and the greenhouses represent years of investment. A sustained tariff, therefore, does not just dent export statistics; it reaches households in towns such as Chía, Tocancipá and Rionegro, where the flower industry is often the largest formal employer.
A broader trade dispute
The flower tariff is part of a wider strain in US-Colombia trade. The industry group ANDI estimates that about US$5 billion of Colombian exports to the United States is at risk across all affected sectors, roughly 30% of the country’s shipments to that market.
Exporters have urged both governments to resolve the dispute and restore predictable access. For now, growers face higher landed costs in their most important market at a time of thin margins and intense global competition.
The broader significance is that the tariff touches a product that is deeply woven into American culture—the bouquet on a table, the gift for a celebration. Because Colombia supplies such a large portion of those flowers, any sustained cost increase is likely to be felt by US consumers as well, whether through higher retail prices or smaller arrangements. That shared stake is why industry voices on both sides often frame the issue as a partnership at risk, not merely a trade statistic.
What to watch next is whether the two governments open a formal channel to review the duty, and whether Colombian growers can accelerate efforts to diversify toward markets in Europe, Japan or the Middle East. Another open question is how US wholesalers will manage their sourcing for the next big floral holiday, and whether any part of the supply chain begins to shift toward alternative suppliers in East Africa or Latin America. For now, the sector is navigating a period of uncertainty where the only certainty is that flowers remain perishable and demand waits for no negotiation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What changed for Colombian flowers?
A US tariff on affected Colombian goods, including cut flowers, rose from 10% to 12.5% on July 24, 2026, on top of a 10% duty first imposed in 2025.
How dependent is Colombia on the US flower market?
The United States took about 80% of Colombia’s flower exports by value in 2025, so the market is hard to replace.
How many jobs depend on the sector?
Colombia’s floriculture industry supports roughly 130,000 jobs, most of them held by women.
Sources
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