BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhua) -- China's agriculture and rural economy maintained stable growth in the first quarter, effectively supporting the overall stability of economic and social development, Pan Wenbo, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said at a press conference on Friday.

Noting that the ministry is focused on meeting this year's grain output target of around 700 million tonnes, Pan said grain and oil production got off to a solid start, with winter wheat planting areas remaining stable and winter rapeseed acreage continuing to grow steadily.

Pan added that the supply of "vegetable basket" products remained sufficient. In the first quarter, the production of pork, beef, mutton and poultry hit 25.4 million tonnes, an increase of 2 percent year on year.

Milk production was 8.92 million tonnes, up 1.7 percent year on year, and the output of domestic aquatic products was 14.83 million tonnes, an increase of 4.5 percent year on year, according to the official.

The achievements in poverty alleviation continued to be consolidated and expanded, with 30.898 million rural laborers from households newly lifted out of poverty employed nationwide by the end of March.

From January to March, the added value of agricultural products processing industry above the designated size increased by 7.2 percent year on year. In the first quarter, the per capita disposable income of rural residents was 7,003 yuan (about 971.7 U.S. dollars), an increase of 6.5 percent, Pan noted.

The potential of rural domestic demand continued to be unleashed, as the rollout of major projects like high-standard farmland building and modern agriculture facilities has boosted investment in agriculture and rural areas, according to Pan.

In the first quarter, fixed-asset investment in the primary industry increased by 16 percent year on year. The potential of rural consumption continued to be unleashed, with retail sales of rural consumer goods increasing by 4.9 percent year on year.

However, it should be noted that China's external development environment has become increasingly complex and challenging, Pan said, adding that "the greater the risks and challenges we face, the more we need to stabilize the basic foundations of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, ensuring domestic production and supply to counterbalance external uncertainties." Enditem