Shaanxi Reports Good Economic Performance in First Half of 2001The inland province of Shaanxi, in northwest china, registered a gross domestic product (GDP) of 76. 644 billion yuan (9.23 billion US dollars) for the first half of the year, up 8.8 percent over the same period last year and higher than the national average.The increase rate in the province's GDP has surpassed the national average for five consecutive years, local government sources said. Despite a reduction in the land area of summer crops, the total output is expected to reach 4.3 billion kilograms, equal to last year's figure. The milk output rose by 13.4 percent, hitting 275, 000 tons in the first half of the year. Aiming to increase the income of farmers, the province expanded the land area of cash crops. For example, the area of cotton expanded by 71.8 percent over last year to reach 48,400 hectares. According to statistics, the total industrial profit for the first six months of the year was 2.73 billion yuan (328 million U. S. dollars), 1.3 billion yuan (about 150 million US dollars) more than last year's same period, ending the run of losses over the previous six years. In the January-June period, the province invested a total of 25 billion yuan (3.01 billion US dollars) in fixed assets, up 27.8 percent over last year's corresponding period. As one of the results of good economic performance, the per capita disposable income for local people reached 2,711.9 yuan, 221.7 yuan more than the same period last year. |
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