Tariffs threaten Colombian flower industry amid Valentine's Day rush

By Javier Andres Rojas and ⁠Camilo Cohecha

BOGOTA, Feb ⁠10 (Reuters) - ‍Millions of Colombian roses arrived in the U.S. just in time for Valentine's Day, but growing economic challenges are threatening to wilt the ‍romance for the world's second-largest flower exporter.

Colombia, which trails only the ​Netherlands in global exports, shipped approximately 65,000 tons of fresh-cut blooms between January 15 and February ​9. The Valentine's Day season typically accounts for 20% of annual sales for a sector that serves as the primary supplier to the U.S. market, according to industry group Asocolflores.

But ​the holiday rush is being overshadowed by a 10% U.S. tariff imposed last April as part of President Donald Trump's broader trade measures. The U.S. ​accounts for about 80% of Colombia's flower exports.

Growers are also battling a peso that has strengthened almost 12% ‌against the dollar over the past year and a 23% rise in minimum wage, factors that are eroding competitiveness and squeezing ​margins.

"We are in very adverse, very complicated situations," ⁠said Jose Antonio Restrepo, manager of Ayure SAS Eclipse Flowers near Bogota. Without a shift in economic conditions, he warned, the ‌industry could face widespread layoffs and farm closures by July.

Flower cultivation is the country's most labor-intensive agricultural sector, providing formal employment for roughly 240,000 workers across 10,500 hectares, or ‌nearly 26,000 acres.

Flower growers face another unlikely challenge this year: Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday.

"It's ‌preferable that Valentine's Day falls on a weekday because people are accustomed to sending flowers to offices as a surprise," explained Augusto Solano, president of Asocolflores.

On the packing floor at ‍Ayure SAS Eclipse Flowers, the mood was more upbeat. Susana Vega, who was wrapping a bundle of roses, said the ⁠holiday still brings a sense of purpose.

"It's an immense joy (...), knowing that we're bringing happiness to someone," Vega said. "To a woman, to a mother, and that we're also benefiting ourselves."

(Reporting by Javier Andres Rojas and Camilo Cohecha; Writing by Nelson Bocanegra and Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Ethan Smith)

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