Copper output from Codelco slides 6% in April

Copper production from Chile’s state-run miner Codelco, the world’s largest producer of the metal, dropped 6.1% in April compared to the same month last year to total 95,100 metric tons, data from copper commission Cochilco showed on Friday.

Copper output fell more sharply at theBHP-controlled Escondida mine, with production during the month shrinking 6.8% to settle at 98,000 tons.

At the Collahuasi mine, which is jointly run by miners Glencore and Anglo American, the data showed copper production inched up 1.9% to a reach 42,300 tons.

Overall, the country’s copper output slipped 1.7% from a year earlier to total 405,600 tons, according to Cochilco.

(By Fabian Cambero; Editing by David Alire Garcia)