Outlook 2015: Challenges continue for importers
Outlook 2015: Challenges continue for importers
Flower importers are faced with a situation that they have not been faced with in the past. The importers, through the Association of Floral Importers of Florida, are meeting with all the major flower airlines in order to work more closely with the importers’ major partners. The airlines are faced with more products competing for northbound space and less southbound cargo, so things have changed over the years for airline space for flowers.
The expiration of the Andean Trade Preference Drug Eradication Act and the Generalized System of Preferences on July 31, 2013, put flower importers in the situation of having to pay duties for flowers that arrive from Ecuador. Initially, the importers thought this would be a short-term situation, but it has now been in effect for a year-and-a-half and we will have to wait for the new Congress in January to see where the extension of the GSP is on its agenda. Ecuador is the United States’ second-largest foreign supplier. These products now have an additional cost of 3.2 percent to 6.8 percent of the border values. The GSP covers 127 countries and thousands of products.
AFIF worked with members of Congress to get extended hours of service from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the second part of the extended hours went into effect. So, now we have all USDA services Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This has really helped with the quick movement for flowers in which a pest has been detected.
Overall, the industry is focused on maintaining or reducing costs in order to be viable for the future. Challenges continue to pop up for the flower industry and we will continue to meet these challenges and to provide the best products for flower consumers.
Christine Boldt is the executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of Florida. She can be contacted at [email protected].