VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Vancouver-based Farallon Mining produced a best-ever 25-million pounds of zinc and 2,1-million pounds of copper in concentrates from its G-9 mine, in Mexico, during the first quarter.

The company earned $6,2-million in the period, and generated $6-million in cash from operations before changes in noncash working capital.

Cash costs for the quarter were $0,38/lb for zinc, compared with $0,44/lb in the fourth quarter of 2009.

"The G-9 mine has increased production every quarter since production began in the first quarter of 2009," said CEO Dick Whittington commented in a statement on Wednesday.

"Quarterly production has steadily increased from 1 180 t/d to 1 650 t/d, a 40% increase over the last 15 months.”

Throughput improved to over 1 900 t/d in March and April, Whittington said.

Later in the day, he said in a presentation at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum conference that the same throughput levels were being sustained so far this month too.

“So we are hopeful we are at a new level here, going forward.”

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