What forces drive the rapid development of mariculture in China: Factor‐driven or total factor productivity‐driven?

Abstract

Up to now, China's mariculture has shifted from high growth to medium-high growth, which not only means a slowdown in growth, but also a shift in growth impetus. How can China achieve dynamic transformation to promote sustainable development and maintain its status as a mariculture superpower? Using data on China's ten coastal regions from 2003 to 2017, this study applies stochastic frontier analysis and the Malmquist index decomposition method combined with the translog production function to incorporate capital, labour, resources, and total factor productivity (TFP) into the growth accounting framework of mariculture and explores the dynamic track of the growth power transformation of China's mariculture. The results indicate that although the contribution of capital fluctuates, it remains high for a long time. The contribution rate of TFP was very low at first, but since 2010, it has been increasing.After 2016, TFP has replaced capital input as the primary driving force of mariculture in China. The contributions of labour and resources are positive, but their roles are gradually reduced. The growth mode of factor input is no longer sustainable, and the growth of mariculture must 'open up a new path', which is TFP.

Shrimp industry in China: overview of the trends in the production, imports and exports during the last two decades, challenges, and outlook

“…This demonstrates the steady efforts of the government to develop aquaculture and the whole fisheries sector in China. Aquaculture facilities in China have been upgraded, and the investment in capital, infrastructure, science and technology has been increased (Ren, 2021). For example, two major state-funded Basic Research programs in China (with 973 programs) that integrated many research teams from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Third Institute of Oceanology, State Oceanic Administration, Zhejiang University, SUN YAT-SEN University and Shandong University were established in the 2000s to focus on shrimp immunology and disease control (Li and Xiang, 2013).…”

Coupling Coordination between Marine S&T Innovation and the High-Quality Development of the Marine Economy: A Case Study of China’s Coastal Provinces

“…TFP can fully reflect the overall conversion efficiency of system input and output, and objectively reflect the comprehensive macroeconomic benefits of an economic system, which can bring the factors such as invention, technology, organization and management innovation into the scope of quantitative research. It is an appropriate index to measure the quality of economic development) [52] or green total factor productivity (GTFP) [53], and it emphasized the realization and transformation of marine ecological value [54][55][56] and considered scientific spatial planning as a significant guarantee [57][58][59]. As a composite concept integrating comprehensive strength, the industrial structure, social welfare, and the ecological environment [60], the high-quality development level of the marine economy has two measurement paradigms: linear or nonlinear [61].…”