Total Factor Productivity Of Fishery Industry In Jiangsu Province

Fishery is an important industry in China. Fishery industry plays important roles in China’s agricultural and even the whole economy. Sustainable development of fishery industry would make significant contribution to food security, nutritious consumption, farmers’employment and income. During the last30years, China’s fishery industry has experienced a relatively fast growth. In terms of constant price, the annual growth rate of the total production value of fishery is10.4percent, which is faster than that of planting industry (4.6percent), forestry industry (5.4%) and livelihood industry (8.2).However, China’s fishery industry is still facing some serious problems, such as sustainability of the growth, industrial structures, resources and environmental constraints.Currently, China’s fishery industry is in a critical time period of transformation from traditional to modernized production system.Among the key problems to be solved are the adjustment of economic development strategies, transforming the growth methods, and increasing the contribution of science and technology to fishery growth. To successfully solve these problems, China has to promote the process of technological advance and to improve fishery productivity.This study focused on the fishery industry in Jiangsu province. On the basis of analyzing for the current status, major problems, and development trends of fishery in Jiangsu, the study established a nonparametric frontier production function model, measured the total factor productivity (TFP) change of Jiang fishery in the last decade, and decomposed the TFP change into technological change, change of technical efficiency, and change of scale efficiency, using data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique combined with Malmquist index method.The main findings and conclusions are as followed:(1)Jiangsu fishery economy has experienced fast growth during last30years, with an annual growth rate of over10percent (7percent in the last decade).Meanwhile, the economic structure has changed significantly:the proportion of inland aquiculture increased, the proportion of marine catch and inland catch decreased, and that of marine aquiculture almost kept the same.(2) The total factor productivity of Jiangsu fishery has increased fast in recent years. The average annual growth rate of TFP of total, marine aquiculture, marine catch, and inland aquiculture fishery output are4.1,2.5,0.8and5.2percent respectively, but the TFP of inland catch has decreased, with an annual growth rate of-9.5percent.(3) Technical efficiency change has made major contribution to the TFP growth in Jiangsu fishery. The annual growth rate of technical efficiency in the production of marine aquiculture, marine catch, inland aquiculture, and inland catch fishery are3.3,2.7,7.5, and14.3percent respectively.Based on the results of the empirical study, some implications are proposed as follows. Firstly, try to transform the economic growth method of fishery production and improve the contribution of science and technology. Secondly, adjust fishery production structure, and improve the efficiency of fishery resources utilization. Thirdly, make more investment in research and development and promote technological progress in fishery.