Ecuador’s mining exports grow despite pandemic impact

Ecuador's mining sector exports continue to grow despite the effects of Covid-19 pandemic.

These exports jumped 85% year-on-year in the first two months of the year to US$210mn, according to data from the energy and non-renewable natural resources ministry.

Overseas sales of mainly gold, copper and silver is Ecuador’s fourth largest export and the great majority go to China, the US and Switzerland.

Ecuador has two large-scale mines in production: copper mine Mirador, which belongs to EcuaCorriente , a subsidiary of the Chinese consortium CRCC-Tongguan, and gold mine Fruta del Norte, which is operated by Canada's Lundin Gold.

There are also several projects in various phases of exploration and six of them should go into production between 2022 and 2025.

Mining companies are awaiting the policies that the country's president-elect, Guillermo Lasso, who is taking office on May 24, will adopt to promote the mining sector.