BEIJING -- China's light industry grew steadily in the first half of the year, with the output of major enterprises up 17.67 percent year-on-year to 7.93 trillion yuan ($1.25 trillion), data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Wednesday showed.

In June alone, output in the light industry rose 16.42 percent from a year earlier to 1.58 trillion yuan, marking the biggest monthly output since January.

The ministry attributed the growth to robust demand in farm and sideline products processing, food manufacturing, brewing and soft drink manufacturing, which accounted for 46.12 percent of the sector's output.

Production of home appliances remained weak in the first half. The total output of refrigerators fell 7.4 percent year-on-year to 41.4 million units, a further retreat from the previous five months, according to MIIT data.

Experts forecast annual output growth of about 15.5 percent in the sector, as demand for food and drink and the sector's steady exports are likely to persist.

Only about 15 percent of China's light industry products are shipped to the debt-ridden eurozone, and exports to the United States, Japan, Southeast Asia and other emerging economies will remain stable, experts said.