Considerations in Establishing a Fruit Storage and 

 Marketing Facility and a Chile Processing Plant 

 in the Espanola Valley, New Mexico 



by " 



Richard S. Berberich 



Fruit and Vegetable Branch 



Marketing Division 



Sponsors of thetNorthern Rio Grande Resource Conservation and Development 

 Project (RC6cD) prepared a general work plan in accordance with the authority 

 granted by the Secretary of Agriculture in February 1964, as a part of Rural 

 Area Development. 



The overall project area covers approximately 2.9 million acres in the 

 riorth central portion of New Mexico. 



The primary objective of the plan was to outline a course of action to 

 develop, improve, conserve and utilize the area's natural resources in order to 

 increase income and expand the employment and other economic opportunities for 

 the people in this low income area, ^ ' 



In the development of this plan, over 100 projects have been proposed to 

 the sponsors' steering committee including proposals to establish a fruit 

 storage and marketing facility and a chile processing plant. 



Recognizing the need for additional economic appraisal relating to the fruit 

 and chile crops grown in the Espanola Valley of New Mexico, Herbert Quintana, 

 Chairman of the Steering Committee, Northern Rio Grande RCSsD project, formally 

 requested the assistance of the Farmer Cooperative Service, U.S. Department of 

 Agriculture,, Washington, D. C. 



This report, prepared in response to the request, appraises the supply and 

 marketing aspects of fruit and chile grown in the Espanola Valley. It will serve 

 as a guideline to interested growers in evaluating the potentials of proposed 

 cooperative or other business type processing and marketing facilities for these 

 crops. 



