Production Agglomeration and Spatiotemporal Evolution of China’s Fruit Industry over the Last 40 Years

Lu Qiu, Qibin Ouyang, Jane Eastham, Jiayao Wang and Lin Wu ()
Additional contact information
Lu Qiu: College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Qibin Ouyang: College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Jane Eastham: Harper Adams Business School, Harper Adams University, Shropshire TF10 8NB, UK
Jiayao Wang: College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Lin Wu: Business School, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG8 1BB, UK

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: This study analyzes the dynamics of China’s fruit industry using a range of analytical tools, including the location Gini coefficient, industry concentration ratio, spatial autocorrelation index, specialization index, and the industry gravity model. It explores the industry’s evolving characteristics and trends since the economic reforms, culminating in a trajectory map that highlights shifts in the industry’s gravitational center. This study also offers a qualitative analysis of the factors influencing the agglomeration and relocation of fruit production centers. The findings show a steady increase in both total output and yields per unit area within China’s fruit industry over time. Although the overall degree of agglomeration has decreased, regional agglomeration effects remain significant. Furthermore, the data reveal significant spatial autocorrelation in fruit production, indicating a long-term westward shift in core production areas. Different geographic areas exhibit varying levels of gradational shifts, with marked differences in production concentration patterns across different fruit types. This study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding production agglomeration, integrating interdisciplinary methods from statistics and geography.

Keywords: fruit industry; production agglomeration; spatiotemporal evolution; industrial gravity center; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/634/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/6/634/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:6:p:634-:d:1614101

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().