In December, President Bush signed a trade bill that included a six-month extension of the Andean Trade Preference Drug Eradication Act for
Colombia
,
Peru
,
Ecuador
and
Bolivia
.
Society of American Florists reports the extension, which began Jan. 1, prevents the assessment of duties on importers of record.
Colombia
and
Peru
must complete the legislative process of negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the
United States
within these six months to receive an additional six months for the implementation phase.
Ecuador
and
Bolivia
need to negotiate and sign a free trade agreement with the
United States
by the end of June so that flowers can continue to be free of trade duties.
If an agreement is not reached, Ecuadorian and Bolivian products will be assessed duties starting on July 1.
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For more: Society of American Florists, 1601 Duke St.,
Alexandria,
VA
22314; (800) 336-4743; www.safnow.org.