BEIJING, Jan. 30 -- Online sales of China's farm produce rose 9.2 percent year on year to 531.38 billion yuan (about 78.58 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed on Monday.

The growth rate improved by 6.4 percentage points from that of 2021, said the ministry.

The industry's rapid development can be largely accredited to the country's booming e-commerce market. In 2022, China's online retail sales in rural areas reached 2.17 trillion yuan, up 3.6 percent year on year.

Official data showed that China's online retail sales expanded 4 percent year on year in 2022 to 13.79 trillion yuan, consolidating its status as the top online retail market in the world.