Platinum group metals (pgms) have led a surge in mining production in South Africa in 2011.

Seasonally-adjusted output of pgms between February and April was up 4.4 per cent compared to the previous three-month period (November to January), according to a release from Statistics South Africa.

Total mining production was up two per cent over the period, with pgms contributing 1.3 percentage points to this increase.

Actual mining production increased by 5.6 per cent for the three months ended April 2011 compared with the same three months in 2010.

Production of pgms was up 23.4 per cent year-on-year in Q1. For mineral sales between January and March 2011, pgms again registered a rise compared to the previous quarter.

Pgms, which accounted for a quarter of all mineral sales in Q4 2010, increased 13.9 per cent in Q1 2011.

Overall, the seasonally-adjusted value of mineral sales at current prices reflected an increase of 9.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2011 compared with the fourth quarter of 2010.

This increase was mainly due to increases in the sales value of pgms, contributing 3.4 percentage points, as well as coal and gold.

Sources:

Mining production on the rise in 2011 (09/06/11)

March a good month for miners (09/06/11) 

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