Ecuador was told granting Snowden asylum would jeopardize trade deals. | AP Photos Edward Snowden, broccoli and roses

Blame Edward Snowden if you soon find yourself paying more for frozen broccoli at the grocery store, or your special someone doesn’t bring you roses on your anniversary.

Ecuador President Rafael Correa has been using the National Security Agency leaker’s surveillance scandal as a reason to pull out of trade agreements with the United States that, until now, have kept Ecuadorian imports of frozen broccoli, canned artichokes and flowers tariff-free. But as trade agreements expire and political tensions intensify between Ecuador and the United States, the consumer may begin to feel the pinch.


As of midnight this Wednesday, frozen broccoli, canned artichokes and cut flowers from Ecuador will be subject to significant tariffs, as high as 14.9 percent for broccoli and 6.8 percent for certain types of flowers. That’s when the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, a trade agreement the U.S. has with Ecuador, is set to expire along with its waiver of multiple tariffs.

( POLITICO Junkies: Edward Snowden- Traitor or hero?)

“It’s like frozen broccoli getting tied to the Pentagon Papers,” said Corey Henry, vice president of communications for the American Frozen Food Institute.

Ecuador, which benefits from the U.S. being a major import destination, was already working on another plan in case Congress did not renew the Andean trade agreement — petitioning the administration to get broccoli, artichokes and roses placed under a separate trade program in place that also is set to expire on midnight Aug. 1.

But Correa, who has been positioning himself to take over for deceased Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez as the lead voice of anti-Americanism in the region, has thrown a wrench in the negotiation efforts by suggesting that he might offer sanctuary to Snowden and expressing contempt toward the U.S.’s handling of the matter.

( WATCH: Who is Edward Snowden?)

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) warned Correa in June that granting Snowden asylum would seriously jeopardize trade deals.

“Our government will not reward countries for bad behavior. If Snowden is granted asylum in Ecuador, I will lead the effort to prevent the renewal of Ecuador’s duty-free access” under both of the other trade deals, Menendez said in a statement.

Ecuador lashed back, calling trade-related threats an attempt to “blackmail” the country.

Correa perhaps best expressed his disdain for the U.S.’s actions in remarks made June 27 at the inauguration of a new hydroelectric plant in De Los Rios Province, Ecuador.

( Also on POLITICO: Edward Snowden timeline of events)

“Ecuador doesn’t accept pressure or threats from anyone and doesn’t barter its principles and sovereignty to submit to mercantile interests,” he said, adding that he wasn’t “the least bit concerned” and told exporters to “take a valium,” according to reports.

Given the complex geopolitics surrounding Snowden and Correa’s belligerence, the petition to add the items to the Generalized System of Preferences, the other expiring trade deal, is causing a bizarre trickle-down effect into people’s everyday lives.

Congress needs to renew GSP for all 127 countries, including Ecuador, but even if they managed to pass a bill and get it to Obama’s desk before the August recess, Ecuador’s petitions won’t be included. Last month, in the heat of the drama between Ecuador and the United States over Snowden, the administration delayed its ruling on the petitions.

( PHOTOS: 20 places Snowden wants to go to for asylum)

“Ecuador’s product petitions under GSP remain under consideration and a final determination on them will likely be made later this year, if GSP is renewed,” Carol Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative, explained to POLITICO in a statement.

Until any product is deemed eligible for coverage under a non-expired preference program, tariffs are at regular most-favored-nation levels, Guthrie said.

( WATCH: Politicians sound off on Snowden)

Consumers will feel the pain. Ecuador is the fourth largest exporter to the U.S. of frozen broccoli (7 percent) and canned artichokes (5 percent), meaning manufacturers of frozen food and importers that rely on these products will be hit hard by the added costs and likely have to pass them along in the form of higher prices, the frozen food industry’s Henry said.

But florists and flower lovers will have it worse, as Ecuador is the second-leading source of imported flowers, accounting for 30 percent of the 5 billion stems imported into the U.S. in 2012. (Colombia is the leading importer with 60 percent.) Certain large-headed roses only grow in Ecuador, so another country cannot immediately step in to provide a less expensive alternative, said Christine Boldt, Executive Director of the Association of Floral Importers of Florida.

The flower industry is a “penny industry,” Boldt said, and doesn’t have the margins to absorb the cost. And since roses aren’t exactly a necessary staple, despite what many spouses and sweethearts may say, the flower industry could take a big hit.

“This is obviously a hard hit for importers, having to add 6.4 to 6.8 percent to the value of what they’re bringing in. The other thing is that consumers still look at flowers as a luxury, not as a necessity, so with any additional cost we could lose consumers,” Boldt said.

Yes, it might be easy to blame Snowden for yet another geopolitical complication, but Dr. Riordan Roett, director of Western Hemisphere Studies at Johns Hopkins University, said Correa is really the culprit in what he called a “lose-lose” situation.

“It goes back to the off and on anti-Americanism on the part of Correa,” Roett said. “Relations between the two countries are proper at best. The trade agreement became the most egregious up front issue to use against the United States and there isn’t a great deal of sympathy for Ecuador on that issue.”

While several Ecuadorian export organizations and businesses have spoken out against the renounced trade deal, Roett said most won’t speak up against Correa directly because of the political climate in a country known for reprimanding those who speak out.

“In Ecuador, they’re very angry and very annoyed, but frankly with the political climate in Ecuador right now, they’re not going to say much,” Roett said. “(Ecuador’s government is) really cutting off their nose in spite of their face.”

The cards are really stacked against Ecuador in this case, Roett said. And the “vibe” from downtown Washington is not good that these petitions will pass, he said.

“This is a small program, a small country that has never been particularly important. It may just not be worth the trouble,” Roett said.

Roett predicted the United States will not accept the Ecuadorian petitions.

“If I were a betting person I would say (it will not be accepted). With all the accumulation of frictions between the countries it’s going to take a big heart on the part of the United States,” he said.

The flower industry’s Boldt also said bad timing is causing the flower business to suffer.

“If President Obama would have made his decisions on the changes to the GSP prior to the Snowden issue, we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Boldt said.

Regardless of whether Correa’s feelings are justified, Henry also believes that the Ecuadoran president’s comments have delivered a potentially fatal blow to the talks.

“Absent Edward Snowden and Correa’s remarks, we believe it’s likely the administration would have approved the GSP petition and everything would have gone along as normal,” he said. “Ecuador pulled the plug on itself.”

But Ecuador is optimistic the United States will accept its petition to include the three items under GSP.

“There are no reasons why we could not expect a positive decision,” an Ecuadorian official who wished to remain anonymous told POLITICO.

Before the Snowden affair imploded, Ecuador had launched an ad campaign in New York, Chicago and Washington pushing Americans to reach out to their legislators to renew the ATPDEA. Once Correa made the anti-trade remarks, the ads were pulled, the official said, because “naturally if we’re no longer pursuing ATPDEA we decided to change the focus of the campaign, and now we’re promoting all products from Ecuador,” the official said.

Ecuador still has a website, KeepTradeGoing.com and a twitter feed urging Americans to contact their legislators and ask them to vote in favor of GSP.

Also, Correa has not been as vocal in contempt toward the U.S. recently, especially after a phone call with Vice President Joe Biden, and that may just save Ecuador’s petitions, Roett said.

“What may save him in the end is he has backed away from asylum for Snowden. That takes one of the most difficult issues off the table for the time being,” Roett said.