Flower Industry - U.S. importers await Senate action on renewal of Andean trade law writes Doreen Hemlock - "but local flower growers hope it does not".
It's nail-biting time again for South Florida companies that buy roses, asparagus and other goods duty-free from Andean nations, as Congress waits until hours before expiration to renew a law allowing the products without import taxes. The U.S. House late Wednesday passed a 10-month extension for the Andean trade law that sunsets Friday. Importers now await Senate approval to help keep billions of dollars in trade flowing duty-free through South Florida. President George W. Bush has said he'll sign the law.
At issue is a law enacted in 1991 that lets Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia sell most goods duty-free to the United States to encourage exports of legal goods and stem sales of cocaine and illegal drugs. The law has helped the countries become major U.S. suppliers of flowers and made South Florida the U.S. flower import capital. Flowers now rank as the No. 1 import at Miami International Airport, the top U.S. airport for international freight. Note EU-Digest: Both Democratic Candidates Obama and Clinton have said that if elected they will review and if need be renegotiate all International Trade agreements including NAFTA.
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