New Mexico Chile Task Force

Chile Pepper Task Force History

Will New Mexico stay "hot" or not? That is the question that fueled the formation of the New Mexico Chile Pepper Task Force in 1998. Faced with a 1,600% increase in chile imports from Mexico between 1994, when NAFTA was initiated, and 1998, members of New Mexico's chile industry teamed up with researchers from New Mexico State University's College of Agriculture and Home Economics to save the state's signature crop.

In the past three years, former industry competitors have became team players as they work toward their common goals of improving chile yields and expanding profitable production, processing, and marketing of New Mexico chile pepper products. The Task Force's strategies include

Effective use of current research,
Development of new technologies, and
Organized response to state and federal initiatives that affect farm profits.

Teams within the Chile Pepper Task Force are constantly working to identify best management practices and to develop effective drip irrigation practices and mechanical harvesting players include growers, processors, crop consultants, industry supply and equipment specialists, state and federal agricultural specialists, and NMSU researchers, Extension specialists and county agents, and engineers.

The chile industry contributes more than $200 million directly to New Mexico's economy each year. Indirectly, chile peppers and chile pepper products contribute millions of dollars to the hospitality and tourism industry. "Red or Green?" is the state's official question. "Hot or not?" is today's most pressing one. The New Mexico Chile Pepper Task Force is seizing every opportunity to keep the industry hot and maintain chile's place as a front runner in the state's economy.