According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in January this year South Africa’s manufacturing output decreased by 3.4 percent compared to the same month of 2020.
In January, the production of basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery decreased by 0.4 percent on year-on-year basis. In the given month, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa declined by 16.4 percent, while the production of structural metal products was down by 1.9 percent, both compared to the same month of 2020. In January this year, the production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa was down by 8.8 percent, while the production of structural metal products in South Africa fell by 1.7 percent, both on month-on-month basis.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of basic iron and steel products (at current prices) in January this year increased by 3.3 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 9.96 billion ($664.84 million).
