South American poly-metal miner Buenaventura reported dwindling production of lead, zinc, and copper in the quarter ended June 30, 2020. Mining operations were brought to a standstill in April through May due to the pandemic which has led to reduced production in June.
Lead output from Buenaventura’s Tambomayo, Uchucchacua, and El Brocal mines in Peru stood at 4,160mt in Q2 2020, a drop of 74pc from the prior-year period, while zinc output from these mines during the period fell by 72pc to 5,678mt. Copper output from El Brocal was down 68pc at 3,045mt in Q2 2020 compared to the same period last year.
For the first half of 2020, lead volumes fell by 48pc to 13,686mt compared with over Jan-June 2019 while zinc output fell by 36pc to 24,362mt during the same period under comparison. Copper production decreased by 35pc, to 12,167mt for the first six months compared with H1 2019.
Lead, zinc, and copper sales weighed in at 3,863mt ($1,460/mt), 4,751mt ($1,112/mt) and 2,758mt ($5,085/mt), respectively, in Q2 2020.