What Does the Decline in Nuevo León's Mining Production in June Reveal?

What Does the Decline in Nuevo León’s Mining Production in June Reveal?

Nuevo León’s mining and metallurgy activity registered a contraction in June 2026, according to indicators published by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). The state reported a preliminary production of 4,564 tons of sulfur, compared to 5,738 tons recorded in the same month of 2025. This result represents an annual decrease of 20.5%, equivalent to a reduction of 1,174 tons in the volume produced during the reference period. Sulfur was the only mineral specifically reported for Nuevo León within the state breakdown presented in the June 2026 bulletin. For minerals such as gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc, iron, and fluorite, the state does not appear among the main producing entities considered in the report.

Nuevo León’s Decline Occurs Amidst an Adverse National Scenario

The state’s performance is situated within a context of contraction for the Mexican mining and metallurgy industry. According to INEGI indicators, national production registered a monthly drop of 8.6% compared to May 2026, considering seasonally adjusted figures. In annual terms, the reduction was 10.6% compared to June 2025, indicating that the sector’s weakness is not limited to a one-month cyclical behavior. The pullback extended to a significant portion of the minerals considered in the indicator. Zinc recorded the largest annual decline, with a decrease of 41.8%, followed by lead, with -21.7%; gold, with -19.2%; and sulfur, with -17.8%. Silver also decreased, with a variation of -8.5%; non-coking coal, with -1.8%; and gypsum, with -1.0%. Fluorite, on the other hand, remained unchanged year-over-year, while only iron pellets and copper showed increases, of 9.1% and 1.1%, respectively.

Nuevo León Faces a Sulfur Decline Above the National Average

The state’s performance becomes more significant when compared to the national performance for the same mineral. While sulfur production in Mexico decreased by 17.8% annually, Nuevo León registered a contraction of 20.5% in June, meaning a more pronounced reduction than that observed in the national indicator for this mineral. State volume fell from 5,738 tons to 4,564 tons in one year, reflecting lower production in an activity that, within the state report, accounts for Nuevo León’s registration.

Zacatecas and Sonora Show Declines in Strategic Minerals

The deterioration of activity is also evident in some of the country’s main mining states. Zacatecas registered sharp reductions in high-value minerals. Gold production fell 50.4%, while zinc decreased 38.8%, lead 25.9%, and silver 20.6%. In Sonora, the main copper-producing entity in the report, this mineral had a marginal increase of 0.5%, while gold production declined 1.8%. In contrast, Michoacán stood out for positive performance in iron extraction, with annual growth of 17.9%. The panorama thus shows a national mining and metallurgy industry with differentiated results by mineral and entity, but dominated in June by a generalized contraction. For Nuevo León, the key figure is the one-fifth reduction in its sulfur production compared to the same month of the previous year.

Key Data: Nuevo León

Indicator	June 2025	June 2026	Annual Variation
Sulfur	5,738 tons	4,564 tons	-20.5%

National Outlook

Indicator	Variation
Monthly mining and metallurgy production	-8.6%
Annual mining and metallurgy production	-10.6%
Zinc	-41.8%
Lead	-21.7%
Gold	-19.2%
Sulfur	-17.8%
Silver	-8.5%
Iron pellets	+9.1%
Copper	+1.1%
Fluorite	0.0%

The entry appears first on Líder Empresarial.