For the month‚ manufacturing output dipped 2% on an annualised basis‚ Statistics SA data showed on Thursday. This follows a rise in February‚ when manufacturing output gained 1.9% year on year.
The drop was mainly due to lower production in the basic iron and steel‚ furniture‚ motor vehicle as well as food categories.
Manufacturing makes up 12.5% of SA’s gross domestic product‚ so the decrease in output is likely to weigh on economic growth.
Seasonally adjusted manufacturing production dropped 0.3% in March from the year-earlier period.
This followed month-on-month changes of 1.6% in February 2016 and -1.8% in January 2016.
Seasonally adjusted manufacturing production rose 0.1% in the first quarter of this year‚ compared with the same period in 2015.
Only four of the 10 manufacturing divisions reported positive growth rates over this period.
- TMG Digital/BDlive
