2020 marks increase for hot pepper production in New Mexico

FILE - This Aug. 22, 2014 file photo shows green chilies in a research plot at New Mexico State University's agricultural science center in Los Lunas, N.M. 2020 wasn't all bad as New Mexico farmers reported increased production and yield levels for the state's most famous crop despite pressures related to the coronavirus pandemic. Numbers released Thursday, March 4, 2021, by the U.S. Agriculture Department's statistics service show 68,000 tons of red and green chile were produced last year. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)

FILE - This Aug. 22, 2014 file photo shows a research plot of green chile peppers at New Mexico State University's agricultural science center in Los Lunas, N.M. 2020 wasn't all bad as New Mexico farmers reported increased production and yield levels for the state's most famous crop despite pressures related to the coronavirus pandemic. Numbers released Thursday, March 4, 2021, by the U.S. Agriculture Department's statistics service show 68,000 tons of red and green chile were produced last year. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan,File)