US tariff hits Colombian flower and candy exporters, affecting nearly 30% of Colombia's exports to the United States
A new US tariff on Colombian imports is exposing about 30% of Colombia's total US exports to higher costs, with flowers bearing the largest hit at nearly US$1.9 billion in annual shipments; Colombian flower growers and the incoming agriculture ministry are preparing support plans as the export sector warns of lost competitiveness
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Summary
A US tariff on Colombian imports, set at 12.5% by the US Office of the Trade Representative, is exposing roughly 30% of Colombia's total US exports to higher costs. Flowers are the most exposed sector, with nearly US$1.9 billion in annual shipments at stake, ahead of aluminium, electrical transformers, and garments. Colombian candy exporters are also directly affected. The flower sector faces a compound problem: the tariff raises the final price in the US market, a peso appreciation since 2025 reduces dollar revenues when converted, and production costs have risen. Colombia's incoming government is preparing a support package in coordination with Asocolflores, the national growers' association, ahead of the new administration taking office in August 2026. Flowers are Colombia's second-largest legal export after oil.
The split
Colombia's financial and business press led with sector-by-sector exposure data, treating this as an economic competitiveness story. Regional agricultural outlets framed it as a crisis for a sector that employs around 150,000 people, predominantly in the savanna around Bogota and the Antioquia highlands. The incoming government's support-plan framing positioned the tariff as a policy challenge to manage rather than a diplomatic grievance to contest. No US government explanation of the tariff's Colombia-specific rationale was captured in the feed; the verified coverage came entirely from Colombian media.
By the numbers
- 12.5%, the new US tariff rate on Colombian imports
- 30%, approximate share of Colombian US exports exposed to the tariff
- US$1.9 billion, approximate annual value of Colombian flower exports to the United States
- 150,000, approximate jobs in Colombia's flower sector (background figure, not in feed)
- August 2026, when Colombia's incoming government takes office and begins executing the support plan
Why it matters
Colombia's flower sector has historically operated under the US Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which granted preferential access tied to anti-narcotics cooperation. A new blanket tariff overrides that framework and resets the cost base for the industry. If the tariff holds, it will push Colombian growers to either accept lower margins or redirect shipments to European and Asian markets, where the logistics are more complex and prices are lower. The candy and confectionery exporters face a similar dynamic.
What to watch
- Whether the incoming Colombian government negotiates a tariff exception or reduction for flowers specifically, as part of bilateral trade talks.
- Asocolflores' lobbying effort in Washington and whether US flower importers, who depend on Colombian supply, back an exemption.
- Whether a peso depreciation partially offsets the tariff impact in the next quarter.
- The scale and structure of the government support programme; details had not been announced at press time.