According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in April this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry rose 3.2 percent compared to March and was up 8.1 percent compared to April 2012.
The PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa in the given month rose 1.9 percent compared to the previous month and was up 1.2 percent compared to April 2012. According to Statistics South Africa, basic metals was the main contributor to the annual decline of 0.1 percent for exported commodities. However, the decline was mostly due to the 12.4 percent year-on-year decrease recorded in rolled, drawn and folded products of basic metals. Meanwhile, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic iron and steel remained stable on both year-on-year and month-on-month basis.