Peru's output of gold soared 17.5% to 52,382kg (1.68Moz) in the first quarter of 2006 against same-period 2005, according to the country's mines and energy ministry (MEM).

In March, the country's production of the yellow metal was up 20.7% to 17,135kg compared to same month last year, MEM said in a statement.

Peru is the region's largest gold producer and the world's fifth biggest with output in 2005 of 6.69Moz. US miner Newmont's Yanacocha gold mine and Canadian Barrick Gold's Pierina and Lagunas Norte gold mines represent nearly 70% of output.
Other metals

Copper production rose 5.8% in the first quarter to 257,025t and by 12.0% to 96,106t in March, both year-on-year, according to MEM.

Meanwhile, output of molybdenum, a by-product of copper mining in Peru, was up 5.4% to 4,481t in the first quarter but off 3.8% at 1,661t in March, the statistics show.

Also performing positively in Q1, silver output rose 2.1% to 799,530kg boosted by a strong March when production of the metal increased 14.3% to 285,115kg.

Meanwhile, Peru produced 1.26Mt of iron ore in the first quarter and 431,727t in March, an increase of 14.9% and 17.7% respectively on same-periods 2005.
The losers

On the downside, production of zinc dropped 13% in Q1 to 269,948t and was off 9.4% to 90,490t in March.

Lead output plummeted 9.4% to 70,114t in Q1 and 11.4% to 23,018t in March, both year-on-year, according to the latest figures.

Finally, the country's output of tin fell 6.5% to 3,360t in March and was off 1.1% to 10,047t in the first quarter.