New Mexico's green chile harvest is underway, but the crop is still threatened by various factors.

According to The Associated Press, the annual green chile harvest has drawn attention from farmers, chefs, hot pepper lovers and Gov. Susana Martinez. The fanatics say that no one can top New Mexico's green chile.

For example, Nick DiCio, 50, drives all the way from Pittsburgh to Hatch Valley every year to fill his truck with Hatch green chile peppers, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

"The flavor, the skin and flesh is the perfect ratio," he explained. "When you roast them, the skin comes right off, and it's the perfect texture to do all kinds of things. ... Put a little lime and salt on it, and it's incredible. No other pepper is like that."

Despite high demand, however, fewer green chile crops have been planted and the harvests have decreased recently, AP reports. Last year, New Mexico's green chile acreage reached its lowest point in four decades with 8,600 acres harvested, compared to 34,000 acres during the industry's peak in the early '90s.

"It's really difficult for our farmers to compete cost-wise," Jaye Hawkins, executive director of the New Mexico Chile Association, said. "... If we can't compete, eventually, we're going to lose it despite the demand."

A lack of water is a concern as water levels in the Rio Grande have reached record lows, forcing farmers to resort to well water.

Meanwhile, excess pumping in the Hatch Valley and Mesilla Valley has caused some aquifers to drop and the water to become salty. According to Stephanie Walker, a vegetable specialist at New Mexico State University, salt can affect green chile crops' growth and yield.

In addition, the cost of labor, competition from other countries with cheaper labor costs, such as Mexico, and more lax environmental laws threaten New Mexico's cash crop, which contributes about $400 billion to the state's economy annually.

"All these things add up for the growers, and it creates an environment where we have to charge more for our product," Hawkins explained. "... I don't think we're ever going to see a day when there is no chile grown in New Mexico, but I think we could definitely see the day when there's not any chile grown commercially in New Mexico."

State agricultural officials are looking to save the crop via marketing and certification programs.

"Chile has been part of New Mexico's identity for hundreds of years," Walker said. "It's part of the art. It's part of the culture. They're practically part of our soul here in New Mexico. It would be a great tragedy if we lost the chile industry here."

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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter:@ScharHar.

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