China's courier sector sees business volume jump by over 50% during holiday
CGTN
Unloading parcels from a truck at a distribution hub of the Chinese delivery company Shentong (STO) Express. /Reuters

Unloading parcels from a truck at a distribution hub of the Chinese delivery company Shentong (STO) Express. /Reuters

China's courier sector reported an increase of over 50 percent in business volume during the recent eight-day holiday, the State Post Bureau said on Friday.

Some 1.82 billion parcels were collected during the period, up 53.42 percent year on year, and 1.8 billion parcels were delivered, up 62.51 percent from a year earlier, said the bureau.

Due to COVID-19, the sector saw dampened business in January but resumed rapid growth in February as it recovers from the pandemic. In the second quarter, along with work resumption, the growth rate of the sector hit more than 30 percent, the bureau said.

Thanks to the country's effective control of the epidemic, consumers have regained confidence, leading to booming online sales of food, daily necessities and electronic devices during the holiday, the bureau said.

The country's express delivery firms have handled 50 billion parcels as of September 10, accounting for about 200 million packages daily on an average, the bureau said.

China's courier sector is expected to handle over 75 billion parcels this year, and online sales of agricultural products also maintained fast growth during the period, the bureau added.

China celebrated its National Day on October 1, and the weeklong holiday this year was extended to October 8 as it overlapped with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional festival symbolizing family reunion that falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month.

(With input from Xinhua)