Analysis on the source of productivity growth of edible sunflower seeds based on a sample data of fixed survey points in major producing areas

Improving the productivity of edible sunflower seeds is an effective way to promote the sustainable development of edible sunflower seed industry and to ensure the safety of oil crops in China. Based on a survey data of farmers in national characteristic oil industry technology system, this paper examined the overall change of the total factor productivity (TFP) of edible sunflower seeds and the differences among different production areas and among different producers, and analyzed the main driving factors by the advanced GML and EBM models. Results show that: in general, the productivity of edible sunflower seeds in China is showing an obvious growth trend, the technical efficiency improvement is the most important driving force, and the path to further reducing the technical efficiency loss is to focus on improving the input scales of labor and material means of production. In terms of region, Heilongjiang, Ningxia, Hebei and Jilin are the main production areas to promote the rapid growth of edible sunflower productivity in China; while the productivity of edible sunflower seeds in Shaanxi began to face downward pressure. The key to increasing stable growth rates of major production areas lies in the improvement of planting areas based on local natural resource endowments. In addition, young and middle-aged producers are the backbone to promote productivity growth. The key to further improving their technical efficiency and productivity lies in the improvement of labor input, and the key to promoting the productivity growth of elderly producers is the cost saving and efficiency increasing of material means of production. In summary, this paper suggests further strengthening the research, development, and application of advanced production technology, optimizing the spatial layout of edible sunflower seed production, actively cultivating new management entities, and effectively using land trusteeship and other production socialized services.