Ecuador mineral exports could fall by some 20% this year, recover next year-official

Ecuador's mineral exports could fall by some 20% year-on-year, mining vice-minister Rebeca Illescas told an industry conference on Tuesday, as power cuts and delays in giving export licenses hit output.

Ecuador's worst drought in over 60 years has plunged the hydropower-dependent country into an energy crisis as diminished reservoirs leave hydroelectric dams offline, pushing the government to impose power cuts.