Could New Mexico farmers rake in profits growing the world's most expensive spice?

Could a red spice bring in green for New Mexico’s farmers?

New Mexico State University is hoping to find out. Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, is one of the crops the university’s Agricultural Experiment Station is researching for its potential to become a cash crop for the state.

The luxurious spice, which steeps a golden hue into dishes, can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars per pound. While the vast majority of saffron is grown in Iran, the spice is also well suited to the soil and semi-arid climate of New Mexico, said Jay Lillywhite, New Mexico State University associate dean/director of the Agricultural Experiment Station within the university’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Green chile might be king when it comes to New Mexico cro