BEIJING — China's food industry saw steady expansion in terms of production and sales in the first two months of the year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) showed.

In the January to February period, the industrial added value of major food manufacturers rose 28.8 percent year-on-year, and that of agricultural byproduct processors went up 22.8 percent year-on-year, according to the MIIT.

Retail sales in the food industry registered a strong increase during the period, with sales of grain, oil and food commodities climbing 10.9 percent year-on-year to 282.79 billion yuan (about $43.26 billion).

Retail sales in the beverage sector surged 36.9 percent year-on-year to 43.87 billion yuan, while sales in the tobacco and alcohol sector registered a 43.9 percent yearly increase to 86.09 billion yuan, MIIT data showed.