1499, from L.
producere "lead or bring forth, draw out," from
pro- "forth" +
ducere "to bring, lead" (see
duke). Originally "extend," sense of "bring into being" is first recorded 1513; that of "to put (a play) on stage" is from 1585. The noun, "thing or things produced," is 1695, from the verb, and was originally accented like it. Specific sense of "agricultural productions" (as distinguished from manufactured goods) is from 1745.
Producer is from 1513 in sense of "one who produces;" specifically of dramatic performances, etc., from 1891. In political economy sense, opposed to
consumer from 1784 (first in Adam Smith).