January rural appliance sales double

The Ministry of Commerce said Saturday that sales of home appliances in rural areas jumped 123 percent from one year earlier in January to 25.36 billion yuan ($3.84 billion), boosted by a government subsidy.
In January, 10.49 million home appliances were sold in the country's rural areas, up 80 percent year on year, the ministry said in a statement on its website, adding that it was the first time the monthly sales volume had topped 10 million units.
Further, televisions and refrigerators were the most popular appliances, whose sales hit 9.09 billion yuan ($1.38 billion) and 5.77 billion yuan ($875.3 million) in January, respectively.
The program was introduced in 2009 to boost rural consumption. Under the program rural residents receive a 13-percent subsidy on purchases of designated brands of refrigerators, televisions, washing machines, computers, air conditioners, water heaters and traditional ovens.