** Shares of South32 S32.AX rise as much as 1.7% to their highest since Dec. 11, last up 0.9% at A$3.51

** Co produces 1.1 mln wet metric tonnes (wmt) of manganese for Q2, higher than Visible Alpha consensus estimate of about 602,000 wmt

** Co produced 1.3 mln wmt of manganese in the year-earlier period

** Says co has resumed production from primary concentrator at its Australia manganese operations after being impacted by a cyclone in March 2024

** Stock has risen more than 3% this year, including the day's move, vs a 2.2% increase in the benchmark index .AXJO

(Reporting by John Biju in Bengaluru)

((John.Biju@thomsonreuters.com;))