Freeport-McMoRan's copper output to rise in 2002: Report

US based mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., owner of the largest copper and gold mine in Irian Jaya, expects its copper production to rise 7.1 percent next year, bucking a trend of falling output at other miners, Bloomberg reported Friday.

The New Orleans-based operator of a mine in Indonesia forecast production of about 1.5 billion pounds of copper in 2002, up by 100 million pounds from this year's expected results, in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Freeport expects gold production to fall 23 percent next year as it mines lower-grade ore during the first half, the filing said. The company predicted output of 2 million ounces of gold in 2002, down 600,000 ounces from this year. (*)