Maya Gold & Silver Inc. achieved commercial production Jan. 1 at its Zgounder silver mine in Morocco.

The company completed the commissioning and testing phase of its flotation mill. During a 28-day period, 4,622 tonnes of low-grade ore with an average silver grade of 157 g/t were processed.

The mill produced 321 tonnes of concentrate at 1,861 g/t silver for a 7% weight recovery.

Maya said Jan. 9 that the mill will start processing higher-grade ore this month to optimize and maximize commercial production.

Zgounder is expected to immediately start contributing to the company's free cash flow, with a low cash cost of below C$6.37/oz, President and CEO Noureddine Mokaddem said.