BHP reports flat third-quarter iron ore production

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpReuters BHP Group on Thursday reported a lowerthanexpected iron ore production for the third quarter, as pandemicrelated labour crunch and planned track renewal works hurt the miners efforts to boost production in Pilbara in Western Australia. p

pThe worlds largest listed miner said iron ore production in the June quarter is also expected to be impacted by lingering COVIDrelated worker absenteeism, but did not change its forecast for fiscal 2022. pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pNot until early March did the mineralrich state of Western Australia lift hardline border restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the pandemic. p

pThe measures have left BHP, rival Rio Tinto and other miners struggling to hire mine workers and train drivers even as pentup demand fuelled a rally in commodity prices.p

pIron ore production from Western Australia came in at 66.7 million tonnes Mt in the three months to March 31, BHP said, lower than a consensus estimate of 70 mt compiled by Visible Alpha.p

pCopper production at its Escondida copper mine in Chile fell to 226.4 thousand tonnes kt from 249.3 kt a year earlier, the company said. p

p Reporting by Harish Sridharan and Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru Editing by Sriraj Kalluvilap

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