Chile’s mining production drops 2.1% in June due to lower copper extraction

Chile’s mining production fell 2.1% in June compared to the same month of 2021 due to lower extraction and processing of copper, the National Institute of Statistics (INE) reported this Friday.

According to the INE, the year-on-year decrease in mining production occurs “as a result of the lower activity recorded in metal mining,” which includes copper production, in which Chile is the world leader.

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With an annual production that exceeds 5.6 million metric tons of copper, equivalent to almost a quarter of global supply, this activity contributes between 10% and 15% of Chilean GDP.

During the month of June, there was a decrease in the extraction and processing of copper, “due to less treatment and operational problems that affected important companies in the sector,” explained the INE.

Meanwhile, non-metallic mining increased 29.4% compared to the same month of the previous year, mainly due to higher production of lithium carbonate, of which Chile is also one of the main world producers.

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