Ethiopia has revoked the mining licences of 63 companies due to breach of contract, the mines minister said on Tuesday without providing any names.

The mining companies whose licences were revoked were said to have breached contract rules, failed to renew their licences, or not made royalty payments, Mines Minister Takele Uma said, confirming an earlier report by state-affiliated broadcaster Fana.

Some of the companies have also been producing below standard, the ministry said, according to the report.

Uma said the list of licences and companies concerned would be released online soon.

Reuters was not immediately able to establish which companies were involved or to contact them.

Ethiopia has been seeking to bring foreign companies in to develop its mining sector. The country has deposits of minerals and metals including gold, copper, and potash - which is used to make fertilizer.

Norwegian fertilizer company Yara, London-listed exploration firm Kefi Minerals, and U.S. gold miner Newmont are among the companies with projects in Ethiopia.

(Reporting by Helen Reid, Editing by Jon Boyle and Louise Heavens) ((Helen.Reid@thomsonreuters.com; +27 66 156 5214;))