According to the preliminary data released by Statistics South Africa (SSA), in February this year South Africa's manufacturing output rose by 1.4 percent compared to the same month of 2013.
The main reasons for the increase included the 4.4 percent increase in output of petroleum, chemical products, rubber and plastic products, the 3.4 percent increase in the production of food and beverages, and the output growth of 1.3 percent in basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery, according to the SSA.
The production of basic iron and steel products in South Africa increased by 18.7 percent year on year in February, while the seasonally adjusted production index of basic iron and steel products decreased by 2.8 percent in the given month compared to January.
For basic iron and steel products, the estimated seasonally adjusted sales of manufactured products (at current prices) in February this year decreased by 12.8 percent month on month, amounting to ZAR 8.85 billion ($849.25 million), while the actual sales value of basic iron and steel products increased by 6.2 percent year on year.
