Public Citizen, a nonprofit group founded by Ralph Nader, said in its report released Wednesday that the state's farmers would be further devastated if free trade is expanded across the Americas under a proposal by President Bush.

Washington, D.C.-based Public Citizen has been a vocal critic of NAFTA since the trade accord was enacted in 1994.

In its report, the group said NAFTA has resulted in more imports from Mexico and Canada, lower incomes for Florida's farmers, higher consumer prices and lost farm worker jobs.

The orange, tomato, beef and sugar industries have been particularly hard hit, according to the report, "Down on the Farm: NAFTA's Seven-Years War on Farmers and Ranchers in Florida."

The report comes as the Bush Administration has been pressing Congress to grant President Bush "fast track" trade promotion authority that would help create the Free Trade Area of the Americas, a trade pact that would include almost every country in the Western Hemisphere.

Paul DiMare, president of a large vegetable producer in Homestead and Ruskin, said expanding free trade would "kill agriculture."

"All those countries are agricultural producers," he said.

Florida lost 1,000 small- and medium-sized farms since NAFTA went into effect, while income for large agribusiness increased, the report said. For example, the number of major tomato farms dropped from 300 before the trade pact to 15 this year.

Florida's orange exports fell 27 percent between 1993 and last year, while U.S. imports of limes, oranges and grapefruits increased more than 200 percent.

Under the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Florida's citrus growers would compete with Brazil, the world's largest citrus producer.

Florida's lawmakers were a key component in the 1993 deal to approve NAFTA, but language in the accord failed to protect the state's winter vegetable industry from Mexican imports.