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 was up 7.2 percent compared to April and was up by 35.6 percent compared to May 2020.
Meanwhile, in April this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa rose by 2.2 percent compared to March and increased by 3.9 percent compared to the same month of 2020, while the index for exported products of iron and steel was down by 0.7 percent month on month and increased by 5.2 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in April this year increased by 3.4 percent month on month and was down by 1.3 percent year on year.