PLANT CITY, Fla. -- Florida strawberry production suffered this season, falling by more than 25% as a result of January freezes, an official with the Florida Strawberry Growers Association said. Growers had harvested nearly 2.8 million flats as of Feb. 6 -- about one million fewer 12-pound flats than the same period in the 2001-02 season. Charles "Chip" Hinton, executive director of the growers group, said demand for Florida product this late in the season will depend on how much production comes out of strawberry fields in California, which is starting its harvest early and is reporting substantial yield increases over last year.
