[South Korea-Ecuador SECA signing] Direct blow to rose farms... Call for 'preparedness before disaster strikes'

Urgent Support for Flower Farms Needed Amid Market Opening with Ecuador Strengthening Monitoring of Imported Flower Distribution Appropriate Taxation Needed to Prevent Reckless Imports As market opening with flower export powerhouse Ecuador becomes visible, anxiety among domestic flower farmers is growing. Flower producers are raising their voices, emphasizing that effective measures, including support for business closures, must be established before market opening. On the 2nd, South Korea and Ecuador held a meeting of trade ministers and officially signed the South Korea-Ecuador Strategic Economic Cooperation Agreement (SECA). If SECA is enacted, the current 25% rose tariff will be phased out over 12 years, and other items such as carnations will be phased out over 5 to 15 years. Since the final conclusion of SECA negotiations was announced in October 2023, flower producers have repeatedly expressed through meetings, discussions, and talks that the agreement will exacerbate the ...