Mexico's December Mining Production Up 6.3% On Year

MEXICO CITY, Feb 28, 2011 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) -- Mexico's mining production rose 6.3% in December from the same month a year earlier, led by a rise in copper output as production resumed at the country's largest copper mine after a three-year shutdown.

The National Statistics Institute, or Inegi, said that copper production rose 23% from December 2009 to 24,219 metric tons. The Cananea copper mine resumed production in the second half of the year after being closed for three years because of a dispute between the mine operator, Grupo Mexico SAB (GMEXICO.MX), and the miners' union.

Grupo Mexico said earlier this month that the complex produced 15,711 tons of copper in the final quarter of 2010, and 20,696 tons for the full year.

Mexico's silver production fell 4.9% in December from a year earlier to 267,616 kilograms, while gold production rose 3.9% to 6,058 kilograms.

Lead production was practically unchanged at 10,369 tons, and zinc output slipped 2.1% to 31,239 tons, Inegi said. Iron production rose 12% to 670,002 tons, and coal production was 15% higher at 837,869 tons.