Mexican mining and metallurgical production, which includes extraction, processing, smelting and refining of metallic and non-metallic minerals, stood at 74.6 points in January 2025 , representing a 10.2% monthly decrease, reported the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) .
According to the Statistics of the Mining and Metallurgical Industry (EIMM) , which provides information on mining and metallurgical activity for the purpose of generating timely indicators, production increased by 14 percent on an annual basis .
By product, zinc production increased by 86.7% annually during the reference period ; copper also saw an increase of 42.4 % . Lead, silver, and iron pellets also saw increases in production, with increases of 22.5% , 16.2% , and 4.5% , respectively.
On the other hand, sulfur production decreased by 0.1% annually during the period , as did fluorite . Other products and minerals that showed declines in production were non-coking coal —used for electricity generation—by 1.1% , while gypsum fell by 3.1% .
During this period, Zacatecas stood out in gold production with an annual variation of 31.2% , as well as in silver with 39.4% , lead with 22% and zinc with 98.9% , detailed Inegi.
The Mexican mining industry is in the crosshairs of US President Donald Trump after the 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports from the United States went into effect on March 12 , affecting various industries in Mexico.
In response, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will wait until April 2 to decide whether her administration will apply reciprocal tariffs on those products to its northern neighbor.
Meanwhile, Marcelo Ebrard , head of the Ministry of Economy , considered the imposition of tariffs a “bad idea” that will have a global impact, and noted that since March 14, consultations have been held with these industries, as well as with other affected sectors, such as the automotive sector, to analyze the measures to be taken and review the tariff rates.
In turn, the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) warned that the implementation of this measure would affect 4.7% of total Mexican exports , and would also impact the value of imports by the United States from Mexico, estimated at more than 22.5 billion dollars (mdd) , and would have severe consequences for the national automotive industry.
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