New Mexico Chile Production

USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
PO BOX 1809,
LAS CRUCES, NM 88004
1-800-530-8810
e-mail: nass-nm-@nass.usda.gov
www.nass.usda.gov/nm

MSC 5600, PO BOX 30005,
LAS CRUCES, NM 88003-8005
(575) 646-4929
e-mail: jnew@nmda.nmsu.edu
www.nmda.nmsu.edu

2021 New Mexico Chile Production
Total chile production for 2021 in New Mexico was 51,000 tons, a 22 percent decrease
from the 2020 revised production of 65,600 tons, according to the Mountain Regional Field
Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA in cooperation with the New
Mexico Department of Agriculture. Of the 51,000 tons produced, 46,500 tons were green
chile and 4,500 tons were red chile. At a state level, yields were lower than in 2020. In
2021, all green chile yield was 11.6 tons per acre and all red chile yield was 1.0 ton per
acre. For comparison, the all green chile yield was 14.5 tons per acre and the all red chile
yield was 1.8 tons per acre in 2020.
Planted chile acreage in 2021 remained at 8,700 acres - unchanged from the revised planted
acreage in 2020. There were 8,500 acres harvested, roughly 98 percent of the crop. Of the
8,500 total chile acres harvested, 4,000 acres were harvested for green chile and 4,500 acres
were harvested for red chile. In 2020, 4,000 acres were harvested for green chile and 4,200
acres were harvested for red chile.
Ninety-one percent of the 2021 chile crop was sold for processing, with 8.9 percent of the
crop sold as fresh market and 0.1 percent not sold. The value of New Mexico chile
production in 2021 was estimated at $44.9 million, compared to $50.1 million in 2020.
Chile for processing was valued at $39.9 million, while the fresh chile value of production
was $5.0 million.

Chile Acreage & Production by County: 2019-2021
Planted Acreage
2019

2020

Harvested Acreage
2021

2019

2020

Production (Tons)
2021

2019

2020

2021

Luna.........................
Doña Ana.................
Sierra.......................
Other Counties........

2,800
2,100
(D)
4,200

2,500
1,700
(D)
4,500

2,400
1,900
660
3,740

2,700
2,000
(D)
4,000

2,400
1,400
(D)
4,400

2,300
1,800
660
3,740

29,175
15,900
(D)
18,000

35,515
13,025
(D)
17,060

20,200
16,300
9,125
5,375

State........................

9,100

8,700

8,700

8,700

8,200

8,500

63,075

65,600

51,000

(D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. Included in Other Counties.

Chile Acreage, Yield, Production & Value by Variety: 2020-2021
Acreage
Harvested
2020
2021

Variety

Yield per
Acre1
2020
2021

Total
Production
2020
20214

Tons

Average Price
Per Ton
2020
2021

Tons

Value of
Production
2020
2021

Dollars

$1,000

All Green Chile2.............
All Red Chile3................

4,000
4,200

4,000
4,500

14.5
1.8

11.6
1.0

57,880
7,720

46,500
4,500

614
1,878

714
2,603

35,557
14,500

33,192
11,715

Total..............................

8,200

8,500

8.0

6.0

65,600

51,000

763

881

50,057

44,907

1

Yields influenced by lower yielding acreage harvested for both green and red.
2
Includes Green Long Mild, Green Long Hot, Jalapeno, and Cayenne.
3
Includes Paprika, Red Long Hot, and Red Long Mild.
4
Total production includes 50 tons of chile production that was harvested but not sold and not included in the value of production.

Chile, Fresh and Processed Production & Value: 2020-20211
Acreage
Harvested

Year
2020...........................
20212..........................
2

Processed
Production

Value of
Fresh
Production

Value of
Processed
Production

Tons

Tons

$1,000

$1,000

13,775
4,540

51,825
46,410

12,122
4,994

37,935
39,913

Totals may not add due to rounding.
Fresh and processed production is utilized production, which is used to calculate the fresh and processed values of production.

New Mexico Chile Pepper Production
80
70
60

Thousand Tons

1

8,200
8,500

Fresh
Production

50
40
30
20
10
0
2013

2014

2015

2016
Green Chile

2017
Red Chile

2018

2019

2020

2021