Nantong has witnessed a stable economic recovery in the first quarter of this year, with both industrial production capacity and market demand increasing, according to major indicators released by the city's statistics department on April 23.

Statistics show that the regional gross domestic product in Nantong was 251.61 billion yuan ($38.77 billion) in Q1, up 19.2 percent year-on-year and 0.9 percentage point higher than the national average.

The output of the agricultural sector was 12.97 billion yuan, up 5 percent year-on-year. Notably the husbandry industry saw a rapid recovery, with 1.26 million live pigs being raised at the end of March, a year-on-year increase of 75.6 percent.

The industrial added value above designated size rose 32.4 percent during this period. The equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing sectors increased 62.4 percent and 57.8 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, retail sales of consumer goods increased 40.3 percent to 98.95 percent.

Imports and exports of cargo were valued at 68.41 billion yuan, up 22.3 percent. Exports increased 26 percent to 44.81 billion yuan, while imports increased 16 percent to 23.59 billion yuan.

Investment in fixed assets increased 17.9 percent, while those involved in medicine manufacturing, electronic and communication device manufacturing, and medical equipment and instrument manufacturing saw growths of 124 percent, 45.9 percent, and 36 percent, respectively.

Statistics also showed that the per capita disposable income of Nantong residents grew 14.8 percent year-on-year to 14,865 yuan. The per capita disposable incomes of urban and rural residents were 17,619 yuan and 10,273 yuan, up 13.7 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively.