NM pecan production expected to set record as acreage expands
More nuts should come from here than any other state
A crop forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed New Mexico’s production of in-shell pecans growing from about 91 million pounds in 2018 to 97 million this year, a 6.5% increase, and the growing regions in the state continue to expand..
The state’s projected yield was ahead of Georgia’s 2019 forecast 76 million pounds of pecans, up 8.6% from 70 million in 2018. In third place was Texas, predicted to produce 47 million pounds of pecans this year, up 39.9% from 2018’s total of 33.6 million pounds.
New Mexico produces pecans on about 51,600 acres, mostly in the southwest and southeast corners of the state.
The state’s pecan-producing regions continued to expand, reaching as far north as Belen and Capitan, said Phillip Arnold, president of the New Mexico Pecan Growers
“In New Mexico, there’s significant growth on the eastern side of the state,” Arnold said. “A significant amount of pecans were planted in that area.”
Traditionally, pecans have mostly been produced in southern regions, with 70 percent coming from the Mesilla Valley in Doña Ana County, and 20 percent in the Pecos River Valley in Eddy and Chaves County, according to data from New Mexico State University. Another 5 percent was estimated to come from the Tularosa Basin in Otero County, with some acreage also in Luna, Sierra, Lea and Roosevelt counties, records show.
But Woods Houghton, Eddy County agricultural extension agent, said he’s heard of pecans being grown as far north as Belen or Capitan.
“We’re continuing to put more acres in pecans because we’re one of the best places in the world to grow them,” Houghton said. “Our weather is really good, and the quality is superior. We’re seeing expansion across the state of New Mexico.”
The main buyer of New Mexico pecans is Vietnam, he said, while other international markets such as India continue to grow.