South Africa's March producer inflation slows to 5.2 pct year/year

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's producer inflation slowed for a third consecutive month to 5.2 percent year-on-year in March from 5.6 percent in February, the statistics agency said on Wednesday. On a month-on-month basis, PPI ticked lower to 0.3 percent from 0.6 percent the previous month, Statistics South Africa said. The annual figure was at its lowest since the final quarter of 2015, having peaked at 8.1 percent in the February 2016 period as the worst drought in decades swept through southern Africa and stoked price growth across a number of sectors. March March Feb Feb y/y m/m y/y m/m Final manufactured goods 5.2 0.3 5.6 0.6 Intermediate manufactured goods 6.8 1.0 7.0 0.7 Electricity and water 10.8 -0.8 9.3 0.8 Mining and quarrying 6.0 -4.4 12.2 3.3 Agriculture, forestry and fishing -4.2 -2.9 -3.2 1.2 (Reporting by Mfuneko Toyana; Editing by James Macharia)