Chile’s National Institute of Statistics announced Tuesday that the country's mining production decreased 10.1 percent in February 2009 compared to the same month of 2008 and was down 10.7 percent compared to January 2009.
This contraction is a result of the diminished production of metals, explained the report.
Mining is not the only industry in Chile suffering the effects of the global economic recession; the Society of Industrial Promotion (Sofofa) reported Monday that Chile’s industrial production fell 9.6 percent in February 2009 compared to February 2008. The report explains that the principal factor driving down industrial production is the 23.5 percent decrease experienced by industries that supply to the construction sector. Amongst the most affected sectors were steel and iron, for which production contracted 50.5 percent.