By  Paul Ploumis 29 Jun 2015  Last updated at  06:43:11 GMT

KAMPALA (Scrap Monster): The South African iron ore exports dropped marginally during the month of April this year. Also, the cumulative exports during the initial four months of the year dropped slightly, according to latest released government data.

 

According to data, the country’s iron ore exports totaled 6.11 million tons in April this year. The exports during the month were 0.9% lower when compared with the exports during the same month a year ago. The South African iron ore exports had totaled 6.17 million tons during April 2014.

 

The largest export destination of South African iron ore was China. The exports to China totaled 3.75 million tons during November, accounting for more than 60% of the total South African iron ore exports during the month. China has been the largest export market for South African iron ore for the past two years. The exports to China averaged at US$58.70/ton during the month.

 

The second largest destination of South African iron ore exports was India. The imports of South African iron ore by India totaled 624,000 tons during April ’15. The average price of import stood at US$66.5/ton.

 

The cumulative iron ore exports by the country during the initial four months of the year witnessed slight decline over the previous year. The South African iron ore exports totaled 20.84 million tons during January- April period this year, marginally down by nearly 5.1% when compared with the exports during the corresponding four-month period last year. The exports by the country had totaled 21.96 million tons during Jan-Apr ’14.