MEXICO CITY (MarketWatch) — Mexico’s mining production rose 5.4% in December from the year-ago month, led by output of copper and coal, with smaller gains in silver, the National Statistics Institute, or Inegi, said Wednesday.
Copper production jumped 39% from December 2010 to 36,983 metric tons, Inegi said. Gains in copper were made throughout 2011 as the country’s biggest copper mine, Cananea, reopened in mid-2010 after a three-year labor dispute. Mining company Grupo Mexico (GMEXICO.MX) renovated parts of the mine’s operations and has boosted output as part of a program to expand production further in coming years.
Inegi said coal production rose 49% on the year to 1.59 million tons, and silver production was up 5% to 349,572 kilograms. Gold output declined 9% from the year-earlier month.
Lead production fell 24% to 11,625 tons, and zinc output was down 15% to 38,513 tons. Iron production declined 27% to 491,552 tons.
Inegi said that in seasonally adjusted terms, December mining was lower by 0.31% than in November. For the full-year 2011, mining output increased 18%, led by a 68% increase in copper production.
