Chilean company SQM, the world's second largest lithium producer, has a priority commitment to the indigenous communities surrounding the Atacama salt flat, the firm's General Manager Ricardo Ramos said in an interview.

According to the interview, published last Sunday, the company is making progress in improving relations with the communities that live in that area of the arid Chilean north through several cooperation deals.

SQM cut a deal with Chile in 2018 allowing it to ramp up output from the Atacama, a remote and fragile desert salt flat whose indigenous inhabitants fear may be jeopardized by mining. SQM promised up to $15 million annually to promote sustainable development in the communities. But the funds have spawned fresh controversy as a key indigenous association has rejected them, saying they are a distraction from ensuring the environment is protected.

"We are progressing well. Commitment to the communities is a priority," Ramos said in the interview. The agreements allow "the development of a new form of relationship that, based on mutual recognition and respect ... directly addresses concerns and community perceptions," he said.