BEIJING — China's home appliance sector posted rising revenue and profits in the first two months of the year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed.

During the period, the industry's operating revenue gained 62.3 percent year-on-year to 222.5 billion yuan (about $34.02 billion), according to the ministry.

The profits totaled 11.33 billion yuan in the period, up 98.6 percent from the same period a year ago, the ministry said.

In the first two months, China's outputs of refrigerators and air conditioners hit 12.11 million and 29.4 million, respectively, up 83 percent and 70.8 percent year-on-year, official data showed.

Meanwhile, the washing machine output surged 68.2 percent year-on-year to 13.14 million.