International Trade committee  Can you repeat the question for me, please?

International Trade committee  No. We are basically within the standards that are established by the Ministry of Labour. The Minister of Labour recently attended a meeting of our board of directors, and basically what we want is to respect the standards that have been established by the government in all areas

International Trade committee  Yes, as you have said, the agreement is still very young and in the flower industry processes take time. They are gradual, but they are moving ahead, and we believe that our exports will increase. The flowers are being produced and the services are there. We were able to see that

International Trade committee  We are the association, the Colombian Association of Flower Exporters. I am the president. I am not a flower grower; I am an administrator. We have approximately 250 farms that represent 70% of exports in the country. My organization is a private one. It's a non-profit organizati

International Trade committee  No. They are Colombian owners—I would say almost all of them. There may be a few companies where there may be some small participation by foreigners. A few years ago Dole, the multinational company, had 18% of the entire sector, but two or three years ago Dole decided to withdraw

International Trade committee  Yes. In the last five years we have undergone a re-evaluation process, and the peso has appreciated. You know this very well. This phenomenon has been an appreciation of the peso and a devaluation of the American dollar. Fifty percent of our costs are labour costs. Therefore, t

International Trade committee  Perfect. I can speak Spanish. No problem.

International Trade committee  Yes, I can very well. First of all, good afternoon. I want to thank the committee for giving us this opportunity to participate in this audience. My presentation is going to be in four parts. First, I want to give you a brief overview of the Colombian flower industry. Secondl