Study on comparison of the advantages of different soybean producing areas in China from a temporal and spatial perspective

Abstract

As one of the important oil crops in China, soybean plays a significant place in the national food security system. This article analyzes the comparative advantages of soybean producing areas in China and further divides the advantage of soybean production into the advantage of scale and the advantage of efficiency. In addition, it adopts the advantage index to objectively describe the advantageous areas of soybean production and the comparison of scale advantage and efficiency advantage in these areas since 1978. Through the research, the article obtains the following findings: (1) Since the Reform and Opening Up, scale advantage has still been the determinant to the soybean production advantages of an area. While soybean production has been even more concentrated in soybean producing areas of Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia, the efficiency advantage index in these two provinces has not been improved in the same pace. (2) The status of efficiency advantage has been constantly rising in other producing areas with the most comparative advantage (other than Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia) and those with the least comparative advantage. The disadvantageous producing areas have gradually bettered the suitability of soybean production through breeding of fine varieties and high-quality cultivation. (3) The disadvantageous soybean producing areas can become the advantageous areas of soybean production depending on efficiency advantage, and the soybean producing areas with scale advantage can further improve their efficiency of soybean planting. This research provides a scientific reference for the regional deployment of soybean planting in China as well as a scientific basis for policy making.