Flower trade in the United States is undergoing a transformation as consumers now prefer ornamental plants. Flower imports are decreasing continuously and flower shops are closing in the U.S., giving way to the more dynamic market of ornamental plants. This is according to the latest figures of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (over 2014).
While the imports of cut flowers have dropped from 850 to 670 million dollars (-11%) in the last five years, the imports of ornamental plants have increased from 630 to more than 1,050 million US$ in the same period.
Colombia, as main supplier in this field, has been reducing its exposure to fresh flowers from a sum of 550 million in 2010 to a little more than US$ 490 million last year.
In contrast has been experiencing a significant rise in the sale of ornamental plants, which gave a jump from 13 million to US$170 million, in the same period of time.
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