Key Industries Provide Strong Support as Consumer Market Steadies with Growth | Wuzhou's Economy Remains Stable in First Three Quarters

Recently, the municipal statistics department released data showing that in the first three quarters, the city's overall economic performance remained stable.

Across various industries and sectors, agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, along with other service industries, recorded relatively strong growth, while leading indicators such as industrial electricity consumption and transportation logistics maintained a steady upward trend.

In the first three quarters, the city's gross domestic product (GDP) reached 125.348 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 1.0% when calculated at constant prices.

Broken down by industry, the primary industry's added value was 17.446 billion yuan, up 4.8%; the secondary industry's added value was 48.852 billion yuan, down 4.7%; and the tertiary industry's added value was 59.050 billion yuan, up 5.1%.

The agricultural economy operated steadily, with the tea industry showing strong growth momentum. In the first three quarters, the city's total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery grew 4.9% year-on-year. The Liubao tea industry achieved improved quality and efficiency, with tea plantation areas continuing to expand and tea output rising 7.2%. Forestry production maintained a positive trend, with forestry output value growing 5.9%. The livestock sector remained generally stable, with output value increasing 3.1%. Fishery production continued to grow, with output value rising 4.8%.

The industrial economy recovered under pressure, with key industries providing strong support. Among the 34 major industry categories, 15 recorded positive growth in added value, representing a growth rate of 44.1%. Key industries offered notable support: the papermaking and paper products industry saw its added value surge 40.3%, while the non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling processing industry grew 22.8%, outpacing the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size by 42.5 and 25.0 percentage points, respectively.

The service sector grew steadily, with for-profit service industries expanding relatively quickly. In the first three quarters, the city's service sector added value rose 5.1% year-on-year, with for-profit service industries' added value jumping 28.3%. The transportation sector maintained overall steady growth, with waterway freight turnover up 7.7% and road freight turnover up 1.9%.

The consumer market steadied with mild growth, and upgraded consumption showed strong momentum. In the first three quarters, the city's total retail sales of consumer goods grew 2.4% year-on-year. Demand for basic daily necessities was robust: retail sales of Chinese and Western medicines by units above designated size rose 10.2%, daily necessities grew 8.8%, grain, oil, and food products increased 7.9%, and beverages rose 4.3%.

Residents' incomes increased steadily, and the employment situation remained stable. In the first three quarters, the city's per capita disposable income of residents reached 25,198 yuan, a nominal year-on-year increase of 4.1%. During the same period, the city created 24,897 new urban jobs, helped 6,782 laid-off urban workers find re-employment, and assisted 2,240 urban residents facing employment difficulties in securing jobs.