Study on cotton production efficiency and its temporal and spatial differentiation in Xinjiang

Xinjiang is one of the main cotton producing areas in China. The development of cotton in Xinjiang is related to the sustainable and healthy development of cotton industry in China. Based on the three-stage DEA model, taking 42 counties in Xinjiang as research object, the cotton production efficiency from 2009 to 2019 was measured and the temporal and spatial characteristics were analyzed. The empirical results showed that environmental factors had a significant impact on cotton production efficiency, and there were obvious temporal and spatial differences, among which, after excluding environmental factors, the cotton production efficiency in Xinjiang decreased from 0.829 to 0.707. In terms of regional comparison, it was 0.509 in eastern Xinjiang, 0.716 in southern Xinjiang and 0.717 in Northern Xinjiang. At the county level, the cotton production efficiency of Shawan County, Yuli County, Kuqa County, Shaya County, Awati County, Shache county and Bachu county increased, and the cotton production efficiency of the other 35 counties decreased. During the study period, the cotton production efficiency of Xinjiang fluctuated year by year. After adjustment, the changes of cotton production efficiency in the whole Xinjiang and the northern and southern Xinjiang tended to be consistent, and the efficiency gap with the eastern Xinjiang was increasing.