China agriculture expands steadily in first three quarters

BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- China's agricultural sector expanded steadily during the first three quarters of the year, with a stable increase in farmers' incomes, an official said Friday.

The added value of the country's primary industry hit 4.3 trillion yuan (about 614.3 billion U.S. dollars) during the period, up 2.9 percent year on year, Wei Baigang, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, told a press conference.

Disposable incomes of farmers jumped 6.4 percent year on year to 11,622 yuan.

China's grain output is expected to reach over 650 billion kg for a fifth straight year in 2019, sustaining 16 consecutive years of bumper harvest, he said.