According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in January this year the country’s producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry was up 2.2 percent compared to December and rose by 38.3 percent compared to January 2021.
Meanwhile, in December last year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa rose by 1.4 percent compared to November and increased by 35.1 percent compared to the same month of 2021, while the index for exported products of iron and steel was up by 0.6 percent month on month and increased by 23.9 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in December last year increased by 2.7 percent month on month and was up by 11.1 percent year on year.