Copper production rose 3.81% in March, reaching 238,464 metric tons, driven by a larger contribution from Antamina

Domestic copper production continued its upward trend during the first quarter of 2026 and ended March with a year-over-year increase of 3.81% compared to the same month of the previous year, driven primarily by improved operational performance at Compañía Minera Antamina.

According to the latest Mining Statistics Bulletin from the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM), copper production reached 238,464 fine metric tons (FMT) in March, surpassing the 229,827 FMT recorded in the same period of 2025. Likewise, the result represented a 6.81% increase compared to February of this year.

The increase observed in March brought cumulative copper production from January through March to 688,214 MT, a figure 3.31% higher than the 666,501 MT reported for the first quarter of 2025.

According to MINEM, one of the main factors behind this performance was the increase in production volumes at Compañía Minera Antamina, which saw a 59.81% increase compared to March of last year.

Thanks to this result, Antamina remained the country's leading copper producer, accounting for 20.11% of domestic production.

Minera Las Bambas took second place, accounting for 14.71% of total production, while Sociedad Minera Cerro Verde ranked third, accounting for 14.21% of total production.

Together, these three companies accounted for 49.1% of the country’s total copper production in March, cementing their importance within the national mining industry.

At the regional level, Áncash continued to lead copper production with a 20.51% share, driven primarily by Antamina's operations.

Moquegua ranked second with a contribution of 16.11% of total production, followed by Apurímac and Arequipa, which accounted for 14.71% and 14.31% of national production, respectively.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) noted that these four regions together accounted for 65.61% of the country's total copper production, reflecting their strategic role within Peru's mining sector.

The results recorded during the first quarter reinforce the relevance of copper as the main mining export product and one of the pillars of national economic activity, in a context of growing international demand associated with the energy transition, electrification, and the development of new technologies.