BEIJING — China's food industry saw stable expansion in terms of production and sales in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed.

The value-added industrial output of the agricultural and sideline food processing sector rose 6.4 percent year-on-year in the period, while that of the food manufacturing sector climbed 6 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry.

The sector of alcohol, beverage and tea manufacturing saw its industrial added value surge by 12.1 percent over the previous year.

In the January-March period, retail sales of grain, oil and food hit 457.73 billion yuan (about $69.17 billion), up 9.3 percent year-on-year. Retail sales of beverages rose 11.8 percent, as did those of tobacco and alcohol.