A farmer harvests wheat in the fields of Qianzhuanmen village, Fucheng county, Hengshui city, north China's Hebei province, June 13, 2021. (ZHU XUDONG / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's food industry reported steady expansion in terms of production and sales in 2021, data from the National Development and Reform Commission showed.

The value-added industrial output of the agricultural and sideline food processing sector rose 7.7 percent year on year, while that of the food manufacturing sector climbed 8 percent year on year, the commission said.

Retail sales of grain, oil and food topped 1.68 trillion yuan (about $263.9 billion), up 10.8 percent year on year

Last year, the sector of wine, beverage and refined tea manufacturing saw its industrial added value increase by 10.6 percent over the previous year.

Retail sales of grain, oil and food topped 1.68 trillion yuan (about $263.9 billion), up 10.8 percent year on year, while those of beverage and alcohol and tobacco surged 20.4 percent and 21.2 percent, respectively.

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In the first 10 months of 2021, food enterprises with annual operating revenue of at least 20 million yuan raked in profits of 475.7 billion yuan, up 4 percent year on year.