Southwest China's Tibet is expected to record 13.2-percent GDP growth this year, the highest in a decade, according to the regional government.

Tibet's GDP will hit 29 billion yuan (3.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2006, while per capita GDP is expected to top 10,000 yuan (1,282 U.S. dollars), said Zhang Qingli, secretary of the regional committee of the Communist Party of China.

Meanwhile, Tibetan farmers and herders -- who make up 80 percent of the region's population -- are expected to make an average of 2,350 yuan (301 U.S. dollars) in per capita net income, up 13.1 percent from last year, he told an ongoing meeting on regional economic work.

Tibet has posted a two-digit rural income rise for four years in a row.

Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the regional government, attributed the rapid income growth to the development of highland farming and stock raising industries.

The regional government allocated 240 million yuan (30.8 million U.S. dollars) this year to foster the growth of quality highland grain and vegetables and the breeding of cashmere goats and domestic animals.

At least 364,000 farmers benefited from these programs, posting an average income rise of 660 yuan (85 U.S. dollars) each.

The regional government also provided technical training to 257,000 farmers and herders and helped them secure non-agricultural jobs, said Qiangba Puncog.

The regional tourism bureau said the tourism industry alone has employed at least 40,000 herders and farmers this year, twice as many as last year.

In the meantime, more than 700,000 Tibetans took up jobs in other Chinese localities, mailing home 800 million yuan (103 million U.S. dollars) in total.

Tibet witnessed average annual GDP growth of 12 percent between 2001 and 2005, driven by fixed assets investment, consumption and foreign trade.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which opened in July, has linked the region more closely with the rest of China and is believed to be a key factor in its recent development.

The central government has also vowed further assistance to help Tibetan herders and farmers raise their income by 80 percent over the 2005 level in the next four years.

It is hoped that by 2010, Tibetan herders and farmers will have a per capita net annual income of 3,820 yuan (490 U.S. dollars), near the national average for farmers, said sources attending a meeting this week of officials who are working in Tibet to boost its development.

Last year, farmers and herders posted a per capita net annual income of 2,078 yuan (260 U.S. dollars), about 63.8 percent of the national average. More than 370,000 Tibetans were making less than 1,300 yuan (162.5 U.S. dollars) a year.

The central government has provided more than 6.2 billion yuan (775 million U.S. dollars) of assistance to Tibet in the past decade.

Source: Xinhua