primary industry
noun
ECONOMICS, PRODUCTION ukus [ C ]
an important or the most important industry in a country or area:
The state's primary industry is tourism.
[ C or U ]
an industry that produces energy or basic materials, such as coal, oil, metals, crops, etc., or these industries considered as a group:
Developing countries often have a higher proportion of their workforce involved in primary industries than developed countries.
See also
primary sector
Compare
secondary industry
tertiary industry