LIMA (Reuters) – A road blockade affecting MMG Ltd’s Las Bambas copper mine since March 1 was lifted on Thursday, the government said, allowing one of the world’s largest producers of the red metal to ship the mineral onto clients worldwide.
Las Bambas produces 2% of global copper supply, while Peru is the No. 2 producer of the metal.
The government said the Urinsaya community, located some 250 km (155 miles) away from the mine, had agreed to lift the blockade after three days of meetings.
Las Bambas uses a dirt road of over 400 kilometers (248.55 miles) to transport its metal onto a seaport using trucks, which traverse dozens of impoverished communities in the Peruvian Andes.
Communities have often protested the mine, blocking the roadway, to accuse the company of failing to lift their quality of life while the trucks pollute their crops.
(Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
