Mexico's April Mining Production Up 22% On Year, Led By Copper

MEXICO CITY, Jun 30, 2011 (Dow Jones Commodities News via Comtex) -- Mexican mining production rose 22% in April from the year-ago month, led by a big jump in output of copper, the National Statistics Institute, or Inegi, said Thursday.

Copper production rose 77% to 32,324 metric tons. The country's biggest copper producer, Grupo Mexico SAB (GMEXICO.MX), reopened the Cananea mine last year after a dispute between the company and the miners' union kept it closed for three years. Cananea, which the company renamed Buenavista, produced 27,598 tons of copper in the first quarter as the mine returned to full capacity.

Silver production was up 15% to 334,822 kilograms, and gold production rose 18% to 6,660 kilograms.

Mexico's zinc output was up 12% to 47,865 tons and lead production fell 8% to 11,565 tons. Coal production rose 41% to 1.3 million tons, while of iron fell 2.1% to 677,496 tons, Inegi said.