North China's Shanxi province saw orderly spring grain planting, steady fruit and vegetable production, improved animal husbandry production, and rapid growth in fishery production in the first quarter. 

According to data released by Shanxi Statistics Bureau on April 21, the province achieved 17.85 billion yuan ($2.58 billion) in terms of the added value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, up 3.9 percent year-on-year. 

The output of vegetables from January to March hit 993,000 metric tons, up 4.1 percent over the same period; and fruit output reached 16,000 tons, up 11.6 percent. 

The province slaughtered 3.46 million pigs, 164,000 cattle, and 55.49 million poultry for sale over the three-month period, registering rises of 7.6 percent, 6.6 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively. 

The output of meat, eggs and milk was 427,000 tons, 324,000 tons and 366,000 tons, respectively, up 7.1 percent, 0.6 percent, and 7.4 percent year-on-year. 

Meanwhile, the aquaculture area grew 21 percent to over 166 square kilometers, while fishery output reached 9,800 tons, an increase of 10.5 percent.