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 increased by 4.4 percent compared to April and was up five percent compared to May last year.
Meanwhile, in April the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa decreased by 2.4 percent compared to March and was up by 3.9 percent compared to the same month of 2015, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 3.4 percent month on month and was down 8.1 percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in April this year increased by 5.4 percent month on month and was down 2.9 percent year on year.