• Marco La Torre, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Cajamarca, stated that the State should create conditions that attract investment in industrialization.

Marco La Torre, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Cajamarca, reflected on the hundreds of years that Peru has been focused on extracting and exporting commodities. He also emphasized how the current administrations have failed to show the necessary leadership for planning this sector’s growth at a short, medium, and long term.

During his participation as a panelist at Rumbo a PERUMIN – Northern Macroregion Edition, he stated that it is time for the State to take on a leading role in adding value to the commodities extracted by mining and thereby bolster industrialization.

“Our leaders should promote laws seeking to attract investors who wish to create industry in our country so that our commodities can be transformed. That way, instead of selling commodities, we will sell auto parts,” he pointed out.

Moreover, given the current focus on changing the energy matrix, more copper and copper products  will be needed, and our country could meet this demand and, consequently, generate revenue that can be used to facilitate development in our country.

“The energy matrix is going to change in the planet. Electricity is the energy on which the world will run in the next few decades. Electric cars will consume a lot more copper, and we have copper in Cajamarca. We have caught the world’s attention,” he said.

La Torre’s proposal ultimately aims at our harnessing the full potential of our natural resources so as to generate wealth, economic and legal stability, and welfare.

He also added that, to create industry, the Ministry of Energy and Mines should propose that extractive companies export a large part of the refined minerals; that way we can know how much of each metal (copper, silver, zinc, etc.) they export and make sure they pay the income tax that corresponds to the specific value of each of mineral.

Finally, he noted that universities should also contribute to the training of more professionals in the fields of engineering, science, and technology. Then these professionals could, in turn, contribute to our country’s industrialization.

Rumbo a PERUMIN

Rumbo a PERUMIN is an initiative of the Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers (IIMP) and the Executive Committee of PERUMIN 36. It involves an agenda of virtual activities that seek to create spaces for analysis, knowledge and debate on mining.