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Indonesia does not expect to approve any export permits for mineral concentrates until next month at the earliest, a senior government official said on Monday, keeping one of the world’s biggest mining industries at a standstill.

Around $500 million worth of copper concentrate, nickel ore, iron ore, bauxite and other mineral exports have ground to a halt due to confusion over the implementation of Indonesia’s controversial mineral export ban on Jan. 12.

There are concerns a prolonged halt in mineral ore and concentrate exports could cause the current account deficit to blow out again, after narrowing to 1.98 percent of gross domestic product in the fourth quarter.

The G20 economy is among the most vulnerable to the risk of outflows due to its current account deficit, which hit a record of 4.4 percent of GDP in the second quarter of 2013.

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