A study on total factor productivity of China’s forage industry

Based on a micro-survey and unbalanced panel data from China’s alfalfa, silage corn, and ryegrass production from 2011 to 2017, the Malmquist index and a stochastic frontier analysis model were used in this study to analyze the total factor productivity of China’s forage industry and the factors responsible for its variation. The results showed that the total factor productivity of alfalfa production declined by an average of 2.32% per year from 2011 to 2017, while that of silage corn and ryegrass increased by an average of 8.91% and 0.33% per year, respectively. The main factors inhibiting the improvement of the total factor productivity of China’s forage industry were that the technology and equipment used for forage production were backward, operators’ production concepts and management technologies were not implemented, the national policy support system for the forage industry was imperfect, and producers are facing higher production and market risks. Finally, some suggestions were put forward, including promoting technology research and development, popularizing the forage industry, intensifying training systems, and perfecting the policy support system.