1. The Southwest Chile Pepper Industry Basic Facts…

2. The National Pepper Industry is Located Here! 60% of U.S. chile acreage in NM 30% of U.S. chile acreage in TX & AZ NM is center of pepper processing Green chile Red chile Jalapeño Cayenne

3. Where is New Mexico chile grown? 76% of acreage in SW New Mexico Luna Doña Ana Hidalgo Sierra 20% of acreage in SE New Mexico Chaves Eddy Lea

4. NM Chile Acreage Harvested

5. U.S. Chile Pepper Imports Fresh Chile Imports Dried Chile Imports

6. Sources of Chile Imports Fresh chile peppers Mexico Processed in New Mexico Dried chile peppers Mexico China India Spain

7. Economic Impact? Doña Ana, Hidalgo, Luna Counties Vegetable production & processing 86% of NM chile production (tons) 5,300 jobs $400 million Multiplier effects Important in sustainable crop rotations

8. New Mexico is the Heart of the U.S. Chile Industry The Chile Task Force is working to improve the industry’s competitiveness, profitability & long-term viability