As India accelerates its transition toward clean energy, electric mobility, digital infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, a central question is gaining urgency: where will the critical minerals that underpin this transformation come from?
Lithium for batteries, copper for power grids, nickel and rare earths for electronics and defence systems are no longer treated simply as commodities. They are strategic inputs. In this context, Latin America is emerging as one of the most consequential regions for India’s long-term resource planning.
Stretching from the Andes to the Amazon, the region hosts some of the world’s largest reserves of copper, lithium, rare earth elements and other critical minerals essential for renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, data centres and next-generation technologies.
Peru: Copper at the Core
Peru has become a focal point of Indian interest. The country is a major global producer of copper and is also developing lithium and rare earth capabilities.
Speaking to StratNewsGlobal, Peru’s Ambassador to India Javier Paulinich said Peru “plays a pivotal role in the global supply of critical minerals, particularly copper, which is essential for the energy transition to renewables and electric vehicles.”
Peru is currently the world’s third-largest copper exporter, accounting for around 10 per cent of global output, with annual production exceeding 2.7 million tonnes. It also holds more than 10 per cent of global copper reserves.
Beyond copper, Peru ranks second globally in zinc and molybdenum production, third in silver, and holds notable positions in tin, lead and mercury. Recent discoveries of rare earth elements and significant uranium resources, including in the Macusani Plateau region, further expand Peru’s strategic profile.
Indian commercial interest is beginning to take shape. Industry and government sources say nearly 17 international mining companies visited Peru over the past year to explore opportunities in copper, gold, lithium and rare earth projects.
India’s Adani Group is also understood to have visited Peru to assess potential investments.
Trade data points to a growing minerals relationship. In 2025, India emerged as the largest destination for Peruvian gold exports, with shipments valued at $5.29 million, a 27 per cent increase over 2024. During the year, 30.8 per cent of Peru’s total gold exports were destined for India.
Argentina: Lithium and Provincial Outreach
Argentina, part of the Lithium Triangle along with Chile and Bolivia, holds a substantial share of global lithium reserves at a time of surging demand for battery materials.
Cooperation in mining is already underway, notes Argentina’s Ambassador to India Mariano Caucino. “There are possibilities for expanding cooperation between Argentina and India in the mining sector,” he said, noting that Indian companies are currently investing in lithium projects and that this engagement “could expand to other minerals.”
Caucino also said preparations are underway for a visit by governors from Argentina’s mineral-rich provinces, pointing to interest in direct engagement between sub-national authorities and Indian investors. Argentina’s decentralised mining framework offers opportunities but also requires engagement with provincial regulations and environmental standards.
Chile: Linking Minerals to Decarbonisation
Chile, a leading global producer of both lithium and copper, has positioned India as a long-term partner in its clean energy and decarbonisation agenda.
Chile’s Ambassador to India, Juan Angulo, said: “Chile aspires to consolidate itself as a trusted partner of India in its energy security chain and contribute with its strategic minerals to the decarbonization goals of the country.”
Brazil: Rare Earths and Value Addition
Brazil brings a different dimension to India’s Latin America calculus. In 2025, Brazil began commercial production of rare earth elements such as neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium from Minaçu in Goiás state, marking the first large-scale rare-earth operation outside Asia.
Brazil is also seeking to move beyond raw material exports by offering incentives for refining, alloy production and magnet manufacturing. For India, which is seeking to localise supply chains for electric vehicles, renewable-energy components, defence and aerospace manufacturing, Brazil presents scope for joint ventures and technology partnerships.
Shared membership in BRICS provides an additional political platform for cooperation.
Colombia: Building the Baseline
Colombia is laying the groundwork for a larger role in future mineral cooperation.
His country holds strategic resources such as copper, nickel, platinum and barium, said Colombia’s Ambassador to India Dr Victor Hugo Echeverri Jaramillo. “In 2023 Colombia updated the list of critical minerals, which includes copper, nickel, zinc, platinum, iron and manganese,” he said.
India could explore opportunities in minerals prioritised by Colombia’s National Mining Agency, particularly silicon and copper, he added.
Strategic Context
India’s expanding engagement with Latin America comes against a backdrop of intensifying global competition for critical minerals and China’s continued dominance in processing and refining.
For India, Latin America offers scale, resource diversity and potential partners interested in moving beyond extraction toward value addition and technology collaboration. This approach aligns with India’s broader objective of building resilient, diversified and domestically anchored industrial supply chains.
