The royalties received by Colombian government from mining companies increased by 4.2pc in 2019 compared with 2018 according to the country’s National Mining Agency (Anm).
The South American country received COP2.5bn ($687mn) in mineral royalties last year on higher coal and nickel output, compared with COP2.4bn in 2018, according to Anm data.
The funds, Anm indicated, will be used in education, healthcare, and to built infrastructure in the country.
In 2019, production of coal contributed 89pc or COP2.2bn to total mining royalties. Coal production reached 84.2mn mt in 2019, down by 2pc compared 2018. Nickel production, on the other hand, fell by 6pc to 89.4mn mt in 2019.
($1 = COP4,058.28)