The Vinto tin smelter in Bolivia has to date maintained output at pre-nationalisation levels, according to the state news agency API.
March output of refined tin was 966 tonnes, 14% higher than in March last year but slightly lower than the average monthly rate of some 980 tpm achieved in the last two years while under the control of Glencore’s local subsidiary Sinchi Wayra. The plant was seized by the state on February 9.
“We are slowly achieving our goals and a clear example of this is the latest results from the Vinto company” said Bolivia’s new mining and metallurgy minister Alberto Echazú.
Elsewhere in Bolvia the government has again experienced opposition from co-operative miners, this time over plans to close off workings at the old Cerro Rico mine near Potosi in order to allow a proper evaluation of reserves. Some 16,000 workers are blocking access to the mine, where over 30 co-operatives mine silver, lead, zinc and tin.
