According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in March this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry remained stable compared to February and was up 22.2 percent compared to March 2016.
Meanwhile, in February this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa decreased by 1.8 percent compared to January and was down by 1.9 percent compared to the same month of 2016, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 3.8 percent month on month and was up 29.3 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in February this year decreased by 0.3 percent month on month and was down 1.9 percent year on year.