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Who we are:
The New Mexico Chile
Association is a non-profit organization composed of growers and producers who are fighting to ensure
the $325million, 4000 employee chile industry remains and prospers in New Mexico.
Our Mission:
The mission of the New Mexico Chile Association is to help create an
environment in the New Mexico region that reinstates us as the world leader in chile production, processing,
and innovations.
Why
our industry is important to New Mexico:
· Our chile industry is possibly the only industry in which New Mexico is ranked first in the nation. We produce
and process the vast majority of chile in the U.S.
· Our industry contributes $325 million to the states economy.
· Our industry exports most of our products, bringing money into this state.
· Our industry provides over 4,000 full time and over 10,000 part time jobs to New Mexicans.
· Our industry is composed primarily of family owned companies and farms who invest in our communities and work to improve
them.
· Chile is the
heart and soul of New Mexico. Washington has its apples, Idaho its potatoes, Florida it oranges. New Mexico loves
its chile. Our state question is: Red or green?
Challenges our industry faces:
· Foreign competition
with very low labor costs and little regulation is affecting our market share
· The need for automation to allow us to compete more effectively
· Immigration
policies that make it difficult to staff our operations
· Diseases,
such as phytophthora and bacterial leaf spot.
Because of these and other things the number of acres of chile grown in NM,
has been reduced by half over
the last decade.
Our Industry Is Composed Of:
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