The company, which among diversified miners has the biggest exposure to copper, said on Tuesday its own-sourced copper production rose 26 percent to 1.5 million tonnes in 2013, driven by strong growth at its operations in Africa, South America and Australia.

The company produced a total of 750,600 tonnes of copper cathode in the year, up 21 percent on the year before.

"Glencore's full-year 2013 production report was in line with our forecasts. The production report showed solid performance from the copper division with the ramp-up of the African copper operations," Citi analysts said in a note.

In coal, the second-biggest earner for the company, output rose 4 percent to 138.1 million tonnes, driven by growth at Prodeco in Colombia and at the Australian operations, even as the company cut back production at less profitable mines due to depressed coal prices.

Output of zinc, another key source of revenue for the group, fell 9 percent to 1.4 million tonnes, while lead output dropped 2 percent to 315,000 tonnes.

The decline in both metals was due to the Brunswick and Perseverance mines in Canada reaching the end of their lives and ending production in June 2013.

Glencore, however, expects its zinc production to return to growth in 2014, mainly due to its Australia operations.

Output of stainless steel material nickel fell by 4 percent to 98,400 tonnes, mainly due to the Falconado operations in the Dominican Republic being placed on maintenance in response to poor nickel prices.

(Editing by Keiron Henderson and David Holmes)

By Silvia Antonioli