Reinvigorated primary industry creates stable GDP growth

Pollution-free oranges from Hechi are in high demand. [Photo/Hechi Daily]

Hechi's GDP increased 6.4 percent to 78.83 billion yuan ($11.7) in 2018. It has had an annual growth rate of 7.4 percent over the past four decades, according to Hechi's statistics bureau.

Hechi's strength in primary industry has been continuously augmented through new growth. In 2018, the added value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishing in the city reached 16.44 billion yuan, an increase of 5.4 percent over the previous year -- the highest number in seven years. The total output of aquatic products in the city reached 98,400 tons, an increase of 17.6 percent over the year before. Production centers for beef, sheep, and poultry have also been scaled up, as has fruit production.

Fixed-asset investment maintained double-digit growth throughout 2018 and increased 15.4 percent over the previous year. Per capita disposable income was 15,865 yuan in 2018 and had the fastest growth rate – 9.2 percent – in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. At the same time, fiscal revenue in Hechi climbed 11.7 percent year-on-year to 7.75 billion yuan. Expenditures on raising living standards also continued to grow, rising 7.1 percent to 29.4 billion yuan.

The total value of Hechi's imports and exports reached a record 2.80 billion yuan, a staggering increase of 43.4 percent over the previous year. This increase was attributed mainly to the blistering growth in exports, which surged 120.5 percent to 492 million yuan. Imports totaled 2.31 billion yuan, up 33.2 percent year-on-year.