International Tin Association CEO Helen Prins, Senior Market Analyst Tom Langston, and Market Analyst Freddie Mitchell travelled to Bolivia in November to meet with the country’s major tin industry stakeholders.
This marks the second visit to Bolivia by ITA staff in 2024 following an earlier visit by ITA’s Sustainability team to learn more about supply from mines operated by cooperatives.
In La Paz, ITA staff met with the Vice Minister of Mining, Allen Marcelo Ballesteros López and representatives from Bolivia’s statistics agency to discuss the country’s strategy for growth in the tin industry and opportunities for collaboration with ITA.
We also met with regulator Senarecom to gain a deeper understanding of their role in managing the commercialisation of tin, and spoke with a mining cooperative about the unique and important role that these organisations play in Bolivia’s tin industry.
ITA visited each of Bolivia’s three tin smelters in Oruro—including EM Vinto, the world’s seventh largest refined tin producer—to hear directly about the challenges and opportunities for growth across the country.
ITA was welcomed at Bolivia’s largest tin mine, COMIBOL Huanuni, and at Catavi-based Cooperativa Multiactiva to see their mining and processing operations.
As the world’s fifth largest producer of refined tin, Bolivia plays a critical role in the international tin industry and holds significant potential for the future as the country looks to increase its production to meet growing demand, driven by energy transition technologies.
We thank International Tin Association Chairman and OMSA General Manager Mariano Peró for hosting our visit to Bolivia. ITA represents 70% of global tin production and remains committed to leading the tin industry towards a sustainable future through engagement across the supply chain and with major stakeholders.
OMSA is a member of the International Tin Association.
