China's postal revenue rose 13.1 percent year on year in the first half of this year to an estimated 76.5 billion yuan (11.2 billion U.S. dollars), according to China's State Post Bureau.

"The country's postal industry had gradually waited out the adverse effects of the financial turmoil and economic slowdown, as the industry's revenues have begun to climb since the beginning of this year," said Ma Junsheng, director of China's State Post Bureau, on Monday.

Business revenues from express mail service increased 9.7 percent year on year to an estimated 21.25 billion yuan in the first six months.

China's postal revenue rose to 140.7 billion yuan in 2008, up 15.9 percent from 2007.

Ma said there were about 40,000 post offices in rural China, but farmers in some out-of-the way towns and villages still had no access to mail service, adding that the country was endeavoring to help all farmers enjoy mail services in coming years.

He said last month during an online interview on www.gov.cn that the nation would build more than 6,000 post offices in its vast rural areas over the next three years.

(Xinhua News Agency July 6, 2009)