LIMA, May 22 (NNN-ANDINA) — Peru attracted mining investments worth US$995 million during the first quarter of this year, a 17% increase compared to the same period in 2023, President Dina Boluarte said.
“In 2023, mining investments exceeded US$4 billion; this year the goal is to exceed US$5 billion; with this (amount), we will generate more jobs, trade, and growth, favoring the country’s economic reactivation,” she said at the15th International Mining Meeting – Symposium in the Peruvian capital, Lima.
The president said the main investment amounts are registered in Quellaveco, Antamina, Las Bambas, and Toromocho projects.
She added the challenge is to increase copper production, thus exceeding 3 million fine metric tons this year.
Boluarte indicated that mining generated resources for municipalities and regions worth more than S/2.396 billion (US$643 million) in canon, mining royalties, and other concepts during the first quarter.She added that 75 mining exploration projects have been made viable in 17 regions.
During her speech, the president underscored that mining remains Peru’s economic engine, contributing to the country’s development, generating employment, infrastructure, and boosting investment in communities.
In this sense, the top official said the 15th International Mining Meeting – Symposium is an ideal space to jointly address the challenges facing the sector, as well as an opportunity to reach consensus, share experiences, and continue building the path towards a more responsible and sustainable mining sector.
“It is important and necessary that we work collaboratively to guarantee that mining develops in a formal and responsible manner, preserving the natural environment and contributing to the well-being of those communities where they (mining companies) operate,” the president expressed.
Boluarte affirmed that the Government supports responsible mining. That is why the Digital Single Window was launched last year, which speeds up authorization processes for mining exploration investments, through the interconnectivity of nine State-run entities.
“I share the concern that poverty and extreme poverty has grown in 2023; the reason is that we need a country at peace, in which democracy, still weak, becomes strengthened so that we can generate not only legal but political trust,” she noted.
Lastly, Pres Boluarte pointed out the need for investors to see Peru as a country that develops in democracy, peace, and unity so that their investments can be safe, and so that the Executive Branch can generate quality of life, plus shorten the poverty gaps through those investments. — NNN-ANDINA
