SA mining production drops 10.6%
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Bloomberg
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Published:
2009/06/11 03:33:36 PM
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Non-gold output fell 10.3% while gold production declined 13% from a year earlier, Statistics South Africa reports.
Platinum, ferrochrome and diamond producers including Platinum Ltd., Xstrata Plc and De Beers Ltd. have shut or suspended operations as demand from industries including automotives and jewelry declined. South Africa, in its first recession in 17 years, is the biggest producer of platinum.
The value of mineral sales in March dropped 16% to 21.7 billion rand (2.7 billion), the agency said. The decrease in non-gold mineral sales was 23%.