Peru Mining Chief Expects Record Exports

Peru: Mining

Peru will break its all-time export record this year “and by a lot”, Juan Luis Kruger, chief executive of the Peruvian miner Minsur, told Gestión, a Lima business daily, in an interview published on 10 November 2026. He called high metal prices and rising world demand for minerals an opportunity the country cannot waste.

Official data through August put Peru within reach of its 2025 export record, and one mining chief says demand for its metals keeps rising.

What Kruger Said About Exports

Kruger said Peru’s exports will set a new historic record in 2026, “and by a lot”, according to Gestión’s interview. He called this one of Peru’s most favourable macroeconomic moments, with high commodity prices lifting its terms of trade, the ratio of export prices to import prices, and a sizeable trade surplus this year.

Mincetur, Peru’s trade ministry, reported goods exports of US$74.122 billion for January–August 2026, up 34%, according to El Peruano, the government’s official daily, on 9 October. Mining products made up US$53.899 billion of that, up 50.6%, and Mincetur credited largely high copper prices.

The record to beat is US$90.082 billion in 2025, Mincetur said in early February, the fifth record year in a row. At the January–August pace of about US$9.3 billion a month, Peru would pass that mark in October, by our calculation.

The Minerals Argument

“Behind every electric car, every solar panel, every green technology, there are minerals that Peru produces,” Kruger said, in a translation from the Spanish. He added that the opportunity is one the country cannot waste.

He said it should help reduce poverty and improve education, health and infrastructure. Minsur belongs to Grupo Breca, a Peruvian conglomerate, and produces tin, copper and gold, Gestión noted.

El Niño and the Investor Panel

Kruger acknowledged that a possible El Niño, a warming of Pacific waters that can bring heavy rain to Peru, could hit the economy in the short term. He described the effect as a temporary dip in growth.

On Wednesday 25 November Kruger will moderate a panel with international investors at CADE Ejecutivos 2026, the annual executive conference of the Peruvian business association IPAE, held in Urubamba in the Cusco region. Gestión lists Felipe Molina of the agribusiness group Grupo Hame, Ernesto Revilla of the US bank Citigroup and Raúl Jacob, chief financial officer of the copper miner Southern Copper.

Kruger said Southern Copper is building the Tía María copper project in Peru’s Arequipa region, which he called the only greenfield copper project, meaning a new mine built from scratch, under construction in the world today. He added that Southern Copper has announced US$10.3 billion of projects in Peru.

What It Means for Investors

The official numbers are consistent with Kruger’s call: Peru had shipped about 82% of its 2025 total in eight months. Kruger said the forum should align efforts so that economic growth reaches the regions and remote areas.

For readers who follow Peru’s copper and tin, the open question is whether higher exports turn into new investment. The investor panel on 25 November is the next place to look for answers.

What Is Not Known

Asked about Minsur’s investment plans toward 2027, Kruger declined to announce anything. An IPAE announcement of 26 October named Isaac Franklin of the mining company Americas Mining Corporation instead of Jacob, so the line-up may change.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Peru set an export record in 2026?

Minsur’s chief executive says so, “by a lot”. Peru exported US$74.122 billion in January–August, up 34%, against a 2025 record of US$90.082 billion.

When is the CADE Ejecutivos investor panel?

Kruger moderates it on Wednesday 25 November in Urubamba, in the Cusco region. Gestión lists executives of Grupo Hame, Citigroup and Southern Copper as speakers.

What does Minsur produce?

Minsur, part of Peru’s Grupo Breca conglomerate, produces tin, copper and gold, according to Gestión.