New Mexico Chile Faces a 20% to 50% Shortfall as Heat, Disease and Drought Hit the Harvest

The New Mexico Chile Association said the state’s red and green chile, central to its food and culture, is facing a severe shortage this year, warning of a 20% to 50% shortfall, with wholesale prices rising and some roasting operations struggling to secure even half of their usual supplies, KOB 4 reports.

The season began with a promising early harvest, but conditions deteriorated because of extreme weather, crop disease, insect pressure and reduced water supplies. Unusually warm nights during the summer growing season kept plants under sustained stress, since chile needs cooler evenings to recover from daytime heat. Scott Adams of Adams Produce told KOB 4 the harvest normally ranges from 34 million to 40 million pounds, and he expects closer to 30 million pounds this year.

Researchers at New Mexico State University have reported outbreaks of beet curly top virus, bacterial leaf spot and chile wilt, and insects have attacked plants already weakened by heat and limited water. Prolonged drought, low snowpack and restricted irrigation deliveries have pushed farmers toward expensive drip systems and wells, and Adams said heat above 100 degrees forces growers to water more, which adds disease pressure. Labor shortages have led some growers to turn to costly foreign agricultural labor, and one Albuquerque market reportedly received just 500 sacks a week, down from its usual 1,000.

New Mexico remains the leading chile-producing state, with an industry valued at nearly $55 million last year, but acreage has fallen from more than 30,000 acres in the 1980s and 1990s to fewer than 10,000 today.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KOB 4’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.