Peru copper output up nearly 8% in April

Copper output in Peru, the world’s third-largest producer of the red metal, rose 7.91% year-on-year in April to 220,261 metric tons, the Energy and Mines Ministry said on Wednesday.

The April increase was mainly due to stronger output from Southern Copper, whose output was up 2.8% year-on-year, and MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas, which surged 74.5%, the ministry said.

Peru’s copper production is expected to rise slightly this year to around 2.8 million tons, Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero said in early June.

(By Marco Aquino; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle)