foreign news on april 19, chilean mining company antofagasta said on wednesday that copper production in the march quarter fell from the previous quarter due to reduced water supply and lower ore grades. the london-listed group said first-quarter copper production was 145,900 tonnes, n 25.4% from the fourth quarter of last year, as ore grades at its centinela mine fell and operations at flagship los pelambres mine were affected by drought and water shortages in chile . however, production was up 5.1% from a year earlier. antofagasta reiterated that copper production is expected to be between 670,000 and 710,000 tonnes in 2023. antofagasta operates four mines in chile. chile is the world's largest copper producer.
