* Ecuador’s mining and energy ministry has announced that mining exports in the first seven months of 2023 totalled US$1.95bn – up by 21.42% on the same period in 2022. The most valuable mineral exports were gold doré (US$772.94m), copper (US$752.24m), and gold concentrate (US$421.86m), and the main export destinations were China, the United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland. The mining and energy ministry said that mining exports are expected to total US$2.86bn this year and noted that minerals are Ecuador’s fourth most valuable export, after prawns, crude oil, and bananas.