According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in January this year South Africa's manufacturing output rose by 2.5 percent compared to the same month of 2013.
The main reasons for the increase included the 4.5 percent increase in the production of food and beverages, the 3.1 percent increase in petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products, and the output growth of 2.3 percent in basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery, according to SSA.
The production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa increased by 2.6 percent year on year in January, while the seasonally adjusted production index of basic iron and steel products rose 2.5 percent in the given month compared to December.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in January this increased by 10.5 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 10.19 billion ($947.36 million), while the actual sales value of basic iron and steel products rose 24 percent year on year.