PRETORIA (Scrap Register): Mining production in South Africa rose for the first time in nine months in July as coal and iron-ore production surged.
Mining production rose 2.4% from a year earlier compared with a revised 4.1% decline in June, Statistics South Africa said in a report on its website.
Iron-ore was the big driver of the swing in mining output after its production surged by 23.7%. Coal, which is the biggest contributor to total mining, rose 8.6% in July and platinum-group metals, the second-largest mineral group, rose 2.7%.
Gold production continues to lag the rest of the industry and declined 13.1%. A 39.1% drop in diamond production also weighed on the sector.