CBP processed approximately 842.2 million cut flower stems during the 2012 Valentine’s season from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14, compared to 802.5 million stems processed during the 2011 season — an increase of 4.9% percent. Most of the cut flower shipments are imported from South America, primarily Colombia, with 536.1 million stems or 67 percent, followed by Ecuador with 194 million stems or 23 percent.
Miami ranks first among U.S. ports of entry for shipments of cut flower imports, followed by Los Angeles. The quantity of imported cut flowers processed by both ports during the 2012 Valentine’s season increased 5.7% compared to 2011 season.
During calendar year 2012, CBP processed approximately 5.1 billion cut flower stems and Miami alone processed 4.3 billion stems.
During the 2012 Valentine’s season:
- CBP in Miami processed approximately 716.7 million stems, or 85.1 percent of the total imported cut flowers nationally, compared to 673.4 million stems imported during last year’s season. Los Angeles has ranked second by processing 35 million flower stems during the 2012 Valentine’s season, compared to 38.2 million stems imported during last year’s season.
- Approximately 516 million of cut flower stems imported from Colombia were processed in Miami, where the top cut flower imports are Roses, mixed bouquets, and Dianthus.
- The imported cut flowers inspection process resulted in a total of 2,439 pest interceptions nationally. Miami intercepted 1,394 pests, followed by Los Angeles with 371 pests.
- 838 pests (34.4%) were intercepted from Colombia and 903 (37%) were intercepted from Ecuador.
- The most common type of insects intercepted in these cut flower imports are Tetranychus sp. (mites), Aphididae (Aphids), Agromyzidae (Miner Flies) and Noctuidae (moths).
Top 10 ports of entry, by volume (number of stems), that processed shipments of cut flower imports for the 2012 Valentine’s season:
| Location | Quantity in Stems |
| FL Miami Air Cargo CBP | 716,735,319 |
| CA Los Angeles CBP | 35,011,039 |
| CA Otay Mesa CBP | 19,449,954 |
| NY JFK Air Cargo CBP | 19,444,566 |
| TX Laredo CBP Colombia | 18,618,113 |
| IL Chicago CBP | 6,201,306 |
| MA Boston CBP | 3,587,766 |
| PR San Juan Air CBP | 3,306,025 |
| TX Laredo CBP | 3,114,610 |
| PR Aguadilla CBP | 1,794,641 |
Top 10 Cut Flower Imports:
| Commodity | Stems |
| Rosa | 301,688,607 |
| Bouquet, Mixed | 115,109,738 |
| Bouquet, Rose | 73,647,195 |
| Dianthus | 57,052,843 |
| Chrysanthemum (pom-pon) | 43,287,793 |
| Dianthus (mini) | 33,027,078 |
| Alstroemeria | 32,362,596 |
| Tulipa | 21,747,475 |
| Chrysanthemum | 16,885,598 |
| Gypsophila | 16,206,903 |
Top 10 Exporting Country of Origin:
| Country of Origin | Stems |
| Colombia | 536,070,919 |
| Ecuador | 193,551,965 |
| Mexico | 44,815,234 |
| Netherlands | 26,778,057 |
| Costa Rica | 10,289,315 |
| Thailand | 7,333,076 |
| Guatemala | 5,304,901 |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and N. Ireland | 3,577,210 |
| Kenya | 2,418,486 |
| Peru | 2,013,272 |
Top 10 Ports of Entry, by Number of Plant Pests Intercepted From Shipments of Imported Cut Flowers:
| Location | Pests Intercepted |
| FL Miami Air CBP | 1394 |
| CA Los Angeles CBP | 370 |
| NY JFK CBP | 142 |
| PR Aguadilla CBP | 118 |
| CA Otay Mesa CBP | 113 |
| PR San Juan Air CBP | 90 |
| TX El Paso CBP | 34 |
| IL Chicago CBP | 22 |
| TX Dallas/Ft. Worth CBP | 19 |
| TX Eagle Pass CBP | 15 |
Source: US Customs & Border Protection
