Copper output in Chile, the world’s largest producer of the metal, edged down in March, data from copper commission Cochilco showed on Friday, as production slid at state-run miner Codelco but rose at other major mines in the country.
Output at Codelco, the top global supplier of the red metal, slid 10.1% to total 107 300 t in March, while at the BHP-controlled Escondida mine, which holds the world’s largest known deposit, output rose 9.7% to reach 101 400 t.
At the Collahuasi mine, which is jointly run by miners Glencore and Anglo American, the data showed a production jump of 16.1% to total 49 800 t.
Overall, however, the country’s copper output slipped 0.7% from a year earlier to settle at 433 300 t, according to Cochilco.