Colombians ask for more flower purchases from U.S.

Although U.S. consumers buy about 60 percent of all the flowers produced in Colombia, Ernesto Velez, chairman of the Colombian Flower Exporters Association, Asocolflores, said, “We need Americans to buy more flowers more often.”

He made this plea in October at the International Floriculture Distinguished Lecture at Texas A&M University. The Netherlands, Colombia, Ecuador and Kenya account for 83 percent of all cut flower exports. However, the purchase of cut flowers in the U.S. market is decreasing, while supplies continue to rise. That has resulted in lower prices paid to the producer, he said.

“The oversupply of flowers requires action,” he said. “We need to increase the per-capita consumption and grow the pie, rather than fight over smaller slices. We need Americans to buy more flowers and more often.”

The Colombian floriculture industry pumps up the U.S. economy, he said.

“The $700 million annual value of flowers exported from Colombia becomes $7 billion in the U.S.,” he said.

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For more: Asocolflores, Carrera 9A No. 90-53, Bogota, Colombia; telephone 011 (57) 25 79311; fax 011 (57) 21 83693; www.asocolflores.org.