A $3.3 Billion Growth in U.S. Imports of Cut Flowers
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I’m Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.Fresh-cut flowers and plants are popular gifts for special occasions such as Mother’s Day. Many bouquets contain flowers grown in countries where cool, wet climates have historically favored production.
In 2022, the United States imported nearly $3.3 billion of cut flowers, plants, and nursery stock products from 81 countries, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. Imports of fresh-cut roses totaled more than $800 million, while other fresh-cut flowers were valued at a combined $1.1 billion.
Live plant imports were valued at nearly $860 million, and imports of other nursery stock products, such as bulbs and greenery, were valued at $492 million.
Of the many countries supplying flowers and other nursery stock, Colombia made up the largest import value at $1.2 billion. From 2018 to 2022, Colombia provided about 37 percent of U.S. cut flower and nursery stock value. Other leading suppliers in 2022 included Canada, Ecuador, and the European Union, as well as Mexico, Taiwan, and Costa Rica.