BEIJING — The output of China's major dairy companies rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in May, bucking the trend of decline in April, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

These enterprises, each with annual operating revenue of at least 20 million yuan ($2.99 million), produced about 2.76 million metric tons of dairy products last month, data from the ministry showed.

In the January-May period, the dairy output of these firms climbed 0.9 percent year-on-year to nearly 12.43 million tons, a pace quicker than the 0.5-percent yearly growth in the first four months of the year.

Household dairy consumption jumped in China during the past two years, with per capita consumption rising 11.8 percent year-on-year to 42.3 kg in 2021, said Yang Zhenni, a researcher with an institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

The country's output of dairy products is expected to reach nearly 54 million tons in 2031, Yang added.