Agriculture
The plains drained by the Yarlung Zangbo, Jinshajiang, Lancangjiang and Nujiang rivers are known as the granaries of the plateau. In 1952, the cultivated area in Tibet was 160,000 hectares, producing 155,000 tons of grain. Now, the cultivated area has expanded to 230,000 hectares. Main crops in Tibet include highland barley, wheat, pea, broad bean, potato, rape and beet. Some areas also grow rice, corn, soybean, green bean, peanut, tobacco, Chinese cabbage, spinach, turnip, buckwheat and garlic.
In 2004, farmland sown to cereals reached 179,790 hectares, some 6,330 hectares less than the previous year. Of this, farmland sown to qingke barley reached 120,110 hectares, a decrease of 5,600 hectares; that to wheat 40,640 hectares, a fall of 1,740 hectares; that to rape 24,330 hectares, an increase of 2,720 hectares; that to vegetables 15,150 hectares, an increase of 1,040 hectares. Grain production in 2004 reached 960,000 tons, a fall of 0.6 percent from the previous year; production of rapeseeds was 53,900 tons, an increase of 9.1 percent from the previous year; production of vegetables was 299,800 tons, an increase of 6.4 percent. The agricultural output value was 2.656 billion yuan in 2004, up 2 percent from the previous year.
Animal Husbandry
The Tibet Autonomous Region is one of the five major pasturelands in China. Natural grasslands total 82 million hectares, or 23 percent of the national total. The livestock in Tibet mainly comprise yak, cattle, pien niu (offspring of a bull and a female yak), horse, donkey, sheep and pig. Livestock products are material base for the livelihood of Tibetan people, main resources for export, and major raw materials of the textile and processing industries. The per-capita share of meat in Tibet is higher than the world average.
In 2004, Tibet had 25.09 million head of domestic animals in stock, an increase of 58,000 head over the previous year. They include 6.13 million cows (an increase of 220,000), and 18.15 million sheep (an increase of 360,000). In the year, the output of pork, beef and mutton reached 208,200 tons, an increase of 9.5 percent and that of milk 262,000 tons, an increase of 4.3 percent. The output value of Tibet's animal husbandry was 2.912 billion yuan, up 4.2 percent.
Forestry
Tibet boasts 7.17 million hectares of forestland with 2.09 billion cubic meters of timber stock. Protection and construction of Tibet's ecological environment is vitally important to the environment in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the southwest neighboring countries and even to the whole globe.
To better conserve natural forests, the counties of Jamda, Konjo and Mangkam in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River were officially included in a national project for conserving natural forests in 2000. The Tibet Autonomous Region has attached importance to the project. Despite tight finance, it managed to put in 10 million yuan for growing saplings, investigating forest resources, and relocating residents of the project site.
In 2004, the Tibet Autonomous Region planted 16,500 hectares of trees, an increase of 2 percent.
Output Value of Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry and Fishery Unit: 10000 Yuan
Year |
Output Value of Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry and Fishery |
Agriculture |
Forestry |
Animal Husbandry |
Fishery |
1959 |
14417 |
4933 |
|
9484 |
|
1965 |
26420 |
8904 |
20 |
17496 |
2 |
1970 |
28028 |
9116 |
12 |
18895 |
5 |
1975 |
34030 |
13921 |
106 |
19993 |
10 |
1980 |
53215 |
26749 |
765 |
25694 |
7 |
1985 |
108875 |
56837 |
2274 |
49724 |
40 |
1990 |
195023 |
98138 |
3250 |
93573 |
62 |
1995 |
358961 |
177927 |
7151 |
173782 |
101 |
1997 |
414546 |
218195 |
8577 |
187624 |
150 |
1998 |
423770 |
224346 |
8821 |
190350 |
253 |
1999 |
482155 |
260666 |
9224 |
212062 |
202 |
2000 |
512185 |
263649 |
13130 |
235282 |
124 |
2001 |
527791 |
276113 |
12849 |
238695 |
134 |
2002 |
558874 |
290759 |
12221 |
255772 |
122 |
2003 |
586339 |
252779 |
53084 |
270867 |
78 |
Output Value of Agriculture Unit: 10000 Yuan
Year |
Agricultural Output Value |
Output Value of Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry and Fishery |
Output of Rural Industry
|
Output Value of Rural Building Industry |
Output Value of Rural Transport Business
|
Output Value of Rural Commerce |
1985 |
177142 |
106316 |
1233 |
3410 |
3106 |
3077 |
1986 |
106147 |
97985 |
1199 |
2315 |
2303 |
2345 |
1987 |
113062 |
102986 |
3204 |
1997 |
1993 |
2882 |
1988 |
139970 |
128528 |
3053 |
2365 |
2541 |
3483 |
1989 |
146382 |
135808 |
2064 |
2436 |
3014 |
3060 |
1990 |
182283 |
170347 |
2055 |
2712 |
3433 |
3736 |
1995 |
389605 |
358961 |
5857 |
5447 |
8957 |
10383 |
1999 |
536358 |
482155 |
14588 |
10624 |
14570 |
14421 |
2000 |
570808 |
512185 |
13307 |
14546 |
17086 |
13684 |
2001 |
577709 |
527791 |
14244 |
12407 |
13274 |
9993 |
2002 |
618802 |
558874 |
11707 |
14788 |
20832 |
12601 |
2003 |
673068 |
583814 |
20033 |
23995 |
26120 |
19106 |
Unit: Calculated according to the price of the year concerned.
Electrification of Farming, Use of Chemicals and Irrigation
Index |
Unit |
2000 |
2002 |
2003 |
Electrification of Farming |
Number of Small Rural Hydraulic Power Stations |
|
231 |
237 |
239 |
Electric Power Consumed in Rural Areas |
10000 kwh |
3392 |
3586 |
4305 |
Electricity Generated |
10000 kwh |
2127 |
5173 |
4941 |
Installed Generating Capacity |
10000 kw |
1.57 |
2.08 |
2.10 |
Use of Chemicals for Farming |
Chemical Fertilizers Used |
ton |
24955 |
30361 |
31837 |
Nitrogenous Fertilizer |
|
11610 |
14081 |
16957 |
Phosphate Fertilizer |
|
5359 |
6165 |
5694 |
Potash Fertilizer |
|
1721 |
1597 |
1572 |
Compound Fertilizer |
|
6266 |
8518 |
7614 |
Chemical Fertilizers Applied to Each Hectare of Cultivated Land on Average |
kg |
108 |
132 |
141 |
Plastic Film Used for Agricultural Purpose |
ton |
128 |
521 |
579 |
Amount of Pesticides Used |
ton |
651 |
1611 |
596 |
Pesticides Applied to Each Hectare of Cultivated Farmland |
kg |
3 |
7 |
28 |
Irrigation Situation |
Effectively Irrigated Farmland |
1000 hectares |
157.03 |
159.73 |
154.95 |
Farmland Irrigated With Electric Pumps |
1000 hectares |
8.05 |
6.82 |
8.99 |
Proportion of Effectively Irrigated Farmland in Total |
% |
68.0 |
69.48 |
68.76 |
Proportion of Effectively Irrigated Farmland in Cultivated Land |
% |
68.0 |
68.58 |
66.31 |
Proportion of Pump-Irrigated Farmland in Effectively Irrigated Farmland |
% |
5.1 |
4.26 |
5.80 |
Farmland That Ensures Stable Yield Despite Drought or Excessive Rain |
1000 hectares |
87.58 |
94.20 |
90.36 |
Proportion of Farmland That Ensures Stable Yield Despite Drought or Excessive Rain in Cultivated Land |
% |
37.9 |
40.44 |
38.67 |
Irrigated Grasslands |
1000 hectares |
722.1 |
208.44 |
514.54 |
Cultivated Area
Year |
Year-End Cultivated Area
(1000 hectares) |
Dry Land |
Paddy Field |
Decrease of the Year
(1000 hectares) |
Farmland Occupied by the State for Capital Construction |
Increase of the Year (1000 hectares) |
1985 |
223.55 |
223.14 |
0.41 |
4.76 |
0.13 |
2.97 |
1986 |
222.33 |
221.74 |
0.59 |
1.99 |
0.06 |
0.34 |
1987 |
221.40 |
220.84 |
0.56 |
1.97 |
1.60 |
1.04 |
1988 |
221.50 |
220.85 |
0.65 |
0.96 |
0.06 |
2.61 |
1989 |
222.35 |
221.47 |
0.88 |
0.45 |
0.21 |
1.35 |
1990 |
222.50 |
221.86 |
0.64 |
1.31 |
0.10 |
1.20 |
1995 |
224.47 |
221.68 |
0.79 |
0.31 |
0.08 |
2.17 |
1999 |
231.16 |
230.23 |
0.93 |
1.33 |
0.09 |
2.15 |
2000 |
230.85 |
229.76 |
1.08 |
0.09 |
- |
0.06 |
2001 |
230.22 |
229.15 |
1.05 |
1.40 |
0.25 |
0.77 |
2002 |
229.89 |
228.90 |
1.00 |
2.45 |
0.66 |
2.15 |
2003 |
225.34 |
224.38 |
0.96 |
6.22 |
0.79 |
2.77 |
Output of Major Crops Unit: ton
Year |
Grain Production |
Rice |
Wheat |
Winter Wheat |
Qingke Barley |
1959 |
182905 |
|
|
|
|
1965 |
290725 |
|
|
|
|
1970 |
294916 |
|
|
|
|
1975 |
445827 |
2278 |
127284 |
96820 |
236357 |
1978 |
513449 |
2631 |
192959 |
153223 |
245233 |
1980 |
504970 |
2210 |
181085 |
143830 |
237230 |
1985 |
530669 |
2488 |
118519 |
72621 |
333736 |
1990 |
608280 |
3264 |
164271 |
115911 |
369294 |
1992 |
657121 |
3905 |
196282 |
150679 |
393429 |
1993 |
672185 |
3889 |
212417 |
170673 |
386806 |
1994 |
664480 |
4108 |
223177 |
181120 |
379059 |
1995 |
719605 |
4731 |
249366 |
187865 |
380922 |
1997 |
791904 |
5239 |
283052 |
212053 |
446564 |
1999 |
922138 |
5550 |
312117 |
237536 |
547530 |
2000 |
962234 |
5517 |
307288 |
245319 |
597094 |
2001 |
982508 |
6024 |
284453 |
220672 |
628400 |
2002 |
983970 |
5831 |
278250 |
208505 |
635978 |
2003 |
966001 |
5564 |
272308 |
211484 |
619317 |
Tea Plantation and Orchards, and Output of Tea and Fruit
Index |
Unit |
1990 |
2000 |
2002 |
2003 |
Area |
Hectare |
Area of Tea Plantation |
|
149 |
48 |
148 |
168 |
Area of Orchards |
|
629 |
1235 |
1088 |
834 |
Apple Orchard |
|
508 |
1051 |
591 |
606 |
Pear Orchard |
|
41 |
112 |
91 |
65 |
Output |
ton |
Output of Tea |
|
66 |
1 |
5 |
7 |
Output of Fruit |
|
5445 |
7418 |
6712 |
8729 |
Apples |
|
3696 |
5299 |
5072 |
5577 |
Pears |
|
319 |
803 |
387 |
463 |
Forest Production
Index |
Unit |
1990 |
2000 |
2003 |
Forest Construction |
Forest Built in the Yea |
hectare |
868 |
5792 |
16173 |
Timber Forest |
hectare |
193 |
2293 |
6530 |
Economic Forest |
hectare |
15 |
398 |
800 |
Protection Forest |
hectare |
440 |
2721 |
8292 |
Charcoal Forest |
hectare |
18 |
299 |
112 |
Other Kinds |
hectare |
201 |
80 |
|
Output of Major Forest Products |
Rosin |
ton |
8 |
|
|
Wallnuts |
ton |
98 |
1829 |
1872 |
Chinese Prickly Ash |
ton |
1 |
35 |
39 |
Output of Animal By-Products
Year |
Meat Output (10000 tons) |
Milk Output (10000 tons) |
Sheep Wool(ton) |
Eggs(ton) |
1978 |
4.71 |
9.34 |
|
1145 |
1979 |
5.12 |
9.50 |
9539 |
1556 |
1980 |
4.75 |
9.87 |
10642 |
1945 |
1985 |
7.07 |
10.28 |
9044 |
|
1990 |
8.78 |
15.75 |
9082 |
|
1992 |
9.74 |
18.60 |
9370 |
693 |
1993 |
10.25 |
16.56 |
9299 |
1477 |
1994 |
10.39 |
16.16 |
9247 |
1235 |
1995 |
11.21 |
17.61 |
9207 |
1418 |
1997 |
12.15 |
18.60 |
9042 |
2048 |
1999 |
14.69 |
20.88 |
9390 |
2588 |
2000 |
14.93 |
20.40 |
8629 |
|
2001 |
16.01 |
23.05 |
|
|
2002 |
17.21 |
24.30 |
|
|
2003 |
18.98 |
25.13 |
|
|
Number of Major Farm Machinery (Year-End Figure)
Index |
Unit |
2000 |
2002 |
2003 |
Power of Farm Machinery |
kw |
1145276 |
1458024 |
1812121 |
Ploughing Machinery |
Large and Medium-Sized Tractors |
Piece |
2025 |
3205 |
5302 |
kw |
126960 |
106499 |
158915 |
Small Tractors and Walking Tractors |
Piece |
30999 |
50598 |
60524 |
kw |
332177 |
513355 |
662170 |
Farm Tools of Large and Medium-Sized Tractors |
Piece |
1033 |
2558 |
2507 |
Farm Tools of Small Tractors |
Piece |
11450 |
11684 |
15252 |
Power of Drainage and Irrigating Farm Machinery |
Diesel Engine |
Piece |
2608 |
3596 |
4675 |
kw |
24469 |
36276 |
43134 |
Electric Machinery |
Piece |
1476 |
1487 |
2420 |
kw |
14610 |
15997 |
17091 |
Water Pumps |
Piece |
627 |
754 |
786 |
Harvesting Machinery |
Combine Harvestors |
Piece |
129 |
625 |
2176 |
kw |
2354 |
5614 |
35938 |
Electric Harvesters |
Piece |
1926 |
|
|
kw |
4878 |
|
|
Electric Threshers |
Piece |
6859 |
13721 |
13032 |
Sprayers |
Piece |
10859 |
|
|
kw |
1952 |
|
|
Transport Machinery |
Agricultural heavy-Duty Automobiles |
Piece |
5256 |
|
|
kw |
454129 |
|
|
Agricultural Transport Vehicles |
Piece |
3665 |
8781 |
11044 |
kw |
139727 |
607526 |
777161 |
|