Is Colombia’s flower power under threat?

Colombia has emerged as the world's second-biggest exporter of cut flowers, and the largest supplier to the United States.

Local growers suffered a scare this year when US president Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs of 50% on imports from Colombia. The dispute was quickly resolved but, even so, the threat of tariffs remains.

And the sector faces other challenges, particularly around sustainability. We visit a flower farm in Colombia and go to Bogota airport to see how the country exports this most delicate and perishable of goods.

We also talk to an academic who says the industry is changing rapidly, with an emphasis on growing flowers locally rather than flying them around the world.

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected]

Presented and produced by Gideon Long

(Picture: A female employee handling roses at a flower farm, Flores de los Andes, near Bogotá, Colombia. Credit: BBC)

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