Prasanna Acharya, head of Directorate of Mines and Geology in Goan government, informed a news agency that the state government expects iron ore mining and exports in the state to resume by December 2013.

He is confident that the Supreme Court would be satisfied with the regulatory measures put in place by the state government for the mining sector.

Acharya expects around 60 mines to be able to reopen without much difficulty as they are away from forests and had committed little or no irregularities.

It is learnt that ore miners in the state requested the apex court to allow them export some 11 million tonne of low-grade ore, worth more than $800 million, that have already been mined.

Almost the entire ore mined in the state is exported to other nations. Most of its iron ore goes to China, but the state has not been able to export any ore over the past eight months and there is a possibility that China might line up alternative suppliers.

Owing to ban on mining in Goa and Karnataka, ore production in the country declined to 167 million tonne in 2012-13 from about 207 million tonne in 2010-11.

The Supreme Court recently cancelled some mining leases in Karnataka and allowed the reopening of some others subject to conditions.