Chile exported 3,901 metric tons of molybdenum in March, up 10.9% from the same month a year ago, and 10,502 mt of molybdenum during the first three months of 2014, a 21.4% jump from 8,654 mt in Q1 2013, the Chilean Copper Commission said in its monthly bulletin, released Tuesday.

Exports during the quarter were valued at $225.3 million, up 3.5% from Q1 2013. Main destinations for Chilean molybdenum were Japan ($237.6 million), the Netherlands ($114.5 million) and South Korea ($55.5 million).

Molybdenum is a key byproduct in several of Chile's large copper mines. The rise in exports reflected higher production at Codelco (up 52.1% to 8,216 mt), Collauhasi, (up 73.9% to 1,270 mt) and Anglo American Sur (up 30.4% to 646 mt), all offsetting a 36% output drop at Los Pelambres to 1,672 mt. Molybdenum output in the quarter rose 26.7% to 11,860 mt.