Tibet agriculture leaps forward across 70 years

The Tibet autonomous region has made historic achievements in rural development over the past seven decades, and rural residents of all ethnic groups in the region have witnesses significant improvements in their livelihoods, the region's Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Monday.

Thanks to major support from the central and regional governments, Tibet's agriculture and rural development has undergone massive change, and the development of agriculture and animal husbandry have made quantitative leaps, said Lin Mu, deputy head of the department, at a news conference.

Tibet was liberated from theocratic feudal serfdom in 1951. Since then, the comprehensive productive capacity of agriculture and animal husbandry of the region has improved steadily.

"Tibet has seen steady increases in annual grain output and in 2015 exceeded 1 million metric tons for the first time," Lin said. "It has continued to exceed 1 million metric tons in the six consecutive years since then."

The region's crop output reached 1.03 million metric tons in 2020, which was 5.72 times what it was in 1951. Output of highland barley reached 795,000 metric tons in 2020, which is 3.24 times of that of 1978.

The region has been developing industries around animal husbandry, including yak, milk, Tibetan pig and Tibetan sheep.

The region's yak population hit more than 5 million at the end of 2020, and the output of yak meat reached 227,800 metric tons.

Meanwhile, the population of sheep (or goats) and Tibetan pigs reached more than 9.94 million and 452,500, respectively, at the end of 2020.