According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in May this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry decreased by 1.6 percent compared to April and was down 5.8 percent compared to May 2014.
Meanwhile, in April the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa increased by 0.6 percent compared to March and remained stable compared to the same month of the previous year, while the index for exported products of iron and steel decreased by 3.2 percent month on month and was up 2.5 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in April this year decreased by 0.4 percent month on month and was down 3.3 percent year on year.