Chile says copper output down in November

Chile’s copper output fell 2.1% to 493,538 tonnes in November, the government statistics agency INE said on Thursday. Chile’s total copper production through November hit 5.29 million tonnes, an increase of 0.2% over the same period in 2019.

The statistics agency’s mining production index (IPMin) crept up 0.6% year on year, boosted primarily by a spike in the production of non-metalic metals caliche and ulexite.

Copper processing and extraction – the dominant mining activities in Chile – fell 1.3% overall, primarily due to reduced copper output, the agency said.

The copper industry has nonetheless remained a bright spot in Chile’s otherwise ailing economy. The country’s large copper mines have implemented strict sanitary measures and continued to churn out copper even at the height of the pandemic.

(By Dave Sherwood; Editing by Hugh Lawson)