In the first five months of 2023, Peru witnessed a 3.8% growth in its copper exports, as reported by the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem).
The ministry’s Mining Statistical Bulletin showed that copper sales in May alone rose by 15.2%, reaching US$1.777 billion, bringing the total for January-May to US$8.299 billion.
Copper continues to be a dominant export for this South American nation, accounting for 32% of its international shipments.
Additionally, Minem highlighted that the country’s overall metal and non-metal mining exports reached US$16.082 billion during the same five-month span.
This was a slight decrease of 0.6% compared to the same timeframe in the previous year. However, there was a significant uptick in May, with a 10.8% growth.
In May, mining constituted 62% of all exports, with copper, gold, zinc, and iron being the major exported metals.
Metal mining exports for May amounted to US$3.324 billion. Gold shipments rose to US$952 million, marking a 17.9% increase from May 2022.
On the other hand, non-metal mining exports reached US$103 million in May, indicating an 18.1% growth compared to the same month in the preceding year.
Notable exports in this category included natural calcium phosphate, anthracites, and canisters.
From January to May, this sector saw a boost of US$544 million, reflecting a substantial 53.3% growth compared to the same months in 2022.