LIMA, March 8 (Reuters) - Peru's copper production

should reach 3 million metric tons this year after hitting 2.76

million tons in 2023, energy and mining minister Romulo Mucho

said in a press conference on Friday.

Mucho added that the government was working with Chinese

miner MMG to reach agreements with local communities

who oppose the Chalcobamba project at the Las Bambas mine, an

expansion he said could help Las Bambas eventually boost output

to some 400,000 tons of copper annually.

MMG had

earlier this year

predicted that Las Bambas would produce between 280,000 and

320,000 tons of copper in 2024.

Workers at Las Bambas, one of the largest copper mines

in Peru,

went on strike

late last year demanding better profit sharing and

transport conditions, while nearby indigenous communities have

previously blocked access roads to call for more benefits from

the mine.

Peru is the world's No. 2 copper producer.