Manufacturing production rose 1.9% in November from a year earlier, offering a glimmer of good news for the economy’s growth prospects for the fourth quarter, according to data from Statistics South Africa (StatsSA).
Output and sales from the sector decreased by 2.7% in October, and mining production that month fell 2.9% year on year.
The main contributors to November’s year-on-year increase were:
• Basic iron and steel, non-ferrous metal products, metal products and machinery (up 6.1% and contributing one percentage point);
• Food and beverages (up 2.3% and contributing 0.6 percentage points)
• Wood and wood products, paper, publishing and printing (up 2.7% and contributing 0.3 percentage points).
