适度规模经营能够降低农产品生产成本吗——基于陕西661个苹果户的实证检验

Can the Moderate-scale Management Really Reduce the Production Costs of Agricultural Products?——An Empirical Analysis Based on 661 Shaanxi Apple Farmers

发展适度规模经营可为降低农产品成本、提升农产品竞争力提供新的解释。本文利用陕西8个苹果基地县的苹果户调查数据研究发现,随着农户经营规模扩大,苹果单位生产成本呈现下降趋势,规模经济效应凸显,但尚未达到理论上的适度规模经营水平;苹果生产成本较高与农户要素投入不合理有关,尤其是化肥、有机肥两种要素。本文认为陕西苹果生产需持续推进适度规模经营,以便降低生产成本;依托农村农业信息网络,注重披露要素及其技术特性与使用方法,引导农户优化要素投入;以规模经营助推苹果生产成本下降、提升陕西苹果国际竞争力为契机,关注规模经营对苹果生产成本及其结构的影响,及时调整苹果生产与出口策略。

Developing the moderate-scale management provides a new path for reducing the cost of agricultural products and enhancing the competitiveness of agricultural products. Based on the micro-survey data of apple farmers from eight counties in Shaanxi Province,the paper reveals that the unit production cost of apple declines with the expansion of the land scale. Scale economy effect is prominent,but our sample hasn ＇t reached the theoretical moderate-scale where the＂cost of production＂can be largely reduced. In addition,farmers＇ overuse of production factors leads to higher unit cost of production,especially chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizer. The results have some policy implications. First,the government of Shaanxi province should further encourage moderate-scale management to reduce the production cost of apples. Second,taking advantage of the agricultural and rural information networks,the government should focus on informing farmers of the technical characteristics and the using methods of the production factors in order to guide the farmers to optimize their inputs. Finally,seizing the opportunity of reducing the production cost and improving the international competitiveness of the apples,the government should pay close attention to how scale management affects production cost and its structure,so as to timely adjust apple production and export strategies.