MEXICO CITY, March 4 (Reuters) - Mexican state oil

company Pemex's debt with suppliers and contractors surged 44%

between its October and February debt reports, reaching 139.12

billion pesos ($8.20 billion).

According to the report, published on Monday, Pemex's

invoiced obligations for 2023 and 2024 total 138.85 billion

pesos, with projects and materials pending invoice at the end of

February for 270 million pesos.

The company said it paid 86.93 billion pesos in the first

two months of the year, on top of 382.90 billion pesos in 2023.

The report, detailing Pemex's official data on the status of

its debt with suppliers, does not include debt stemming from

disputes or taxes, nor that involving projects in conciliation

processes with creditors.

Pemex's supplier debt reported on Monday is significantly

less than what it was in December 2023, down 61% from 359.76

billion pesos in December, according to figures reported on a

company call in February.

Pemex did not give details during that call about the debts

invoiced or expected to be invoiced.

For months, the debt-plagued energy company has faced

serious difficulties paying suppliers, contractors and oil

operators, who have warned that a lack of compliance could lead

to production drops and threaten private companies.

Two Pemex sources told Reuters last month that the company

would use a recent $6.4 billion tax credit from the government

to make payments to suppliers.

Reuters recently reported that the state giant, which also

has a financial debt of more than $106 billion, has favored

payment to large oil services companies to the detriment of

operators with oil contracts that sell all their production and

other suppliers to it.

The state company said in the call with analysts that it had

paid 413.94 billion pesos to its suppliers in 2023 and managers

announced that the company will make payments this year,

although they did not give details or schedules or amounts.