Study On The Technical Efficiency And Its Influencing Factors Of Barley Production In China

In China,barley is not only a high-quality forage grass and feed for animal husbandry,but also an important raw material for the malt and beer industry,and the staple food for Tibetans in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.In recent years,with the rapid development of animal husbandry and the beer industry,the total demand for barley in China has increased dramatically.However,owing to its significant low relative revenue compared to major grain crops such as wheat,farmers’ s enthusiasm for growing barley is falling,and the planting area of barley is decreasing and the output is continuously declining.At present,the output and quality of domestic barley can no longer fully meet the growing domestic demand,and the latter relies heavily on imported barley.According to the data of China Customs Administration,China’s barley imports have reached 8.863 million tons in 2017.Presently,in the context that China’s arable land resources are relatively limited and it is impossible to rely entirely on the international market to meet domestic demand,domestic barley production cannot be improved only by substantially increasing factor inputs.Therefore,the research on the technical efficiency of barley production and its influencing factors in China have important practical significance for giving full play to the existing production technology,improving the utilization of various input factors,further digging the barley production potential and enhancing the comprehensive production capacity of barley.This study firstly analyzes the macroscopic characteristics and microscopic facts of barley production in China.Then,based on the survey data of barley farmers,by using the stochastic frontier function model,this study measures the technical efficiency of farmer’s barley production,and also analyzes the distribution of technical efficiency of farmer’s barley production in China and the output elasticity of inputs including seeds,fertilizers,pesticides,and labor,and further studys the influencing factors of the technical efficiency.Finally,this study concludes and summarizes the research conclusions,and based on which puts forward relevant policy recommendations.The results of this study show that,the distribution of barley planting in China generally shows changes in concentration in western provinces such as Yunnan,Gansu,Inner Mongolia and Sichuan;at present,the provinces including Gansu,Jiangsu,Yunnan,Xinjiang,and Inner Mongolia are the advantageous provinces of barley production in China.Therefore,the current situation of barley production in China is in accordance with the principle of comparative advantage.There is a widespread loss of technical efficiency in sample farmer’s barley production,with an average technical efficiency of 0.8724,and this shows that under the current input level of production technology and production factors,if the technical efficiency loss can be reduced,there is still 12.76% room for improvement in the yield of barley.Technical efficiency of sample farmers’ barley production in each province have remarkable regional differences.Among the input elements of barley production,the average output elasticity of seed input is the largest and is 0.4461;the average output elasticity of fertilizer input and mechanical input is 0.1341 and 0.0312 respectively,which indicating that fertilizer and machinery promote the increase in the yield of barley,but their effects are relatively limited;the average output elasticity of pesticide input and labor input is-0.1870 and-0.0088 respectively.Farmers with family members being village cadres have higher technical efficiency of barley production;farmers’ satisfaction with barley seeds,farmers joining cooperatives and and barley sales ratio all have significant positive effect on technology efficiency of barley production;the age of the householder has a significant negative effect on the technical efficiency of barley production;the technical efficiency of sample farmers’ barley production in Gansu,Hubei,Henan,and Sichuan are significantly higher than that inYunnan.Based on the above research conclusions,the following policy recommendations are proposed: Firstly,the breeding of regional high-quality new barley varieties and the research and development of barley scientific planting management techniques such as sowing,fertilizing,and pest control should be strengthened.Secondly,according to local conditions,the demonstration and promotion of new varieties and technologies of barley should be carried out,and the planting technology and scientific management capabilities of barley farmers should be improved.Thirdly,optimize the planting layout of barley and enhance the regional competitiveness of barley industry.Finally,policy support for barley cultivation in the dominant producing areas should be strengthened to increased the enthusiasm for production of barley growers.