When the USA began trade with Japan and then China and now Columbia it always begins with flowers.

By Brenna Haragan

Puente Piedra, Colombia—Dozens of pairs of hands I(click here) wearing thick, clumsy rubber gloves bundle thousands of rose bouquets in clear plastic sheets. More hands, these deft and ungloved, slide young buds still on the bush inside socks of protective red mesh to ensure uniform growth. Nine hours spent bent over roses—clipping thorns, measuring stems, wrapping, and shipping the vegetal symbol of love—this is the daily reality of the rose farmers of Puente Piedra.

How many pairs of hands? A dozen. Oh. Not 144 people or any multiple of a dozen but ONLY a dozen people.

Colombia is one of the world’s foremost producers of flowers, exporting $1 billion per year and growing. In 2013, 65 percent of all cut flowers imported into the U.S. were from Colombia, up from 55 percent a decade earlier. Exotic species of orchid, anthurium, and bird of paradise are all regularly shipped to the U.S. But the ubiquitous rose is, by far, the country’s biggest flower seller....

Fresca Farms. Hm? A Columbian company? No? Oh, I thought CAFTA was about improving the lives of the Columbian people.

Fresca Farms is a family-owned and operated, (click here) fresh-cut flower grower, importer and distributor located in Miami, Florida.  With extensive combined experience in the floral industry, the owners share a passion for flowers.  Cecivon Contag Vicente and Mario Vicente each have been in the flower business for over twenty years. Fresca Farms has grown from a 10 employee team to over 40 team members.  Each team member is carefully chosen to ensure the company culture remains family-style with employees that share the same drive, ethics, and love for the industry.  We consider our team an extended family; we share triumphs and help pick each other up from set-backs.  Fresca Farms is a member of and supports industry organizations such as AFIF, SAF Asocoflores and WF&FSA....

Fresca Farms is a USA company that now exports CHEAP flowers from Columbia. CAFTA is a Wall Street trade agreement and does NOTHING for the people of Columbia.

Why is there a militia in Columbia if the country is benefiting the people? Why? Government CORRUPTION. CAFTA is facilitating corruption.

March 11, 2016
By AFP

Havana (AFP) - Colombia (click here) will miss a March 23 deadline for a peace accord between the government and FARC rebels, after the guerrillas agreed Thursday with the president that more time is needed.

Speaking a day after Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said he would not sign a "bad deal" just to meet the self-imposed deadline, FARC peace negotiator Joaquin Gomez said the rebels agreed an extension was needed to end the half-century conflict.

"We agree with what (the president) said, that conditions aren't in place for the 23rd," Gomez said. "We agree that we should set another date by consensus."

The government and the FARC have been holding talks in the Cuban capital Havana since November 2012, seeking to end a grinding, complex conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people and uprooted 6.6 million.

Santos and FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez announced the deadline with much fanfare on September 23, when they met for the first time for the signing of a landmark deal on post-conflict justice, part of the hoped-for overall peace accord.

But as the date approaches the two sides have increasingly raised doubts about the feasibility of signing a final accord on schedule....

The USA has a trade agreement with whom exactly in Columbia? The rebels? Or a legitimate government that is corruption free. Maybe it is the same thing.

July 1, 2005
By Deborah James

...The biggest upset was Hillary Clinton, (click here) who voted against CAFTA -- a surprise to many who projected that her national aspirations would portend a Yes vote, and whose husband shepherded NAFTA through the Congress 11 years ago....