The economy in the Ningxia HuiAutonomous Region in northwest China maintained a steady growth in1999 thanks to a series of measures aimed at increasing investment and stimulating domestic demand.

When all the figures are in, Ningxia's gross domestic product is expected to reach 24.2 billion yuan (2.9 billion US dollars) in 1999, an increase of 8.7 percent over 1998, according to a senior official from the Ningxia Statistics Bureau.

Ningxia's 1999 import and export volume is estimated to stand at 386 million dollars in 1999, up 23.4 year on year, with exports increasing 12 percent to 316 million dollars.

Last year, grain output in Ningxia reached 3.93 million tons. The per capita net income of farmers stood at 1,791 yuan (216 dollars) in real terms, an increase of 6.9 percent over 1998.

Meanwhile, Ningxia achieved 25.23 billion yuan (three billion dollars) in industrial output value and 8.07 billion yuan (972 million dollars) in industrial added value, up nine percent and 7.8 percent, respectively, over 1998.

Investment in fixed assets maintained the growth momentum last year, with the total amount increasing 19.8 percent to more than 13 billion yuan (1.57 billion dollars).