According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa, in July this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry decreased by 1.3 percent compared to June, but was up 6.7 percent compared to July 2013.
Meanwhile, in June this year the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa decreased by 2.7 percent compared to May and was up 2.5 percent year on year, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 0.6 percent month on month and by four percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in June this year increased by 0.5 percent month on month and was up 9.8 percent year on year.