Spatiotemporal Evolution, Regional Disparities, and Convergence Analysis of Green Total Factor Productivity in China’s Apple Industry

Under tightening resource and environmental constraints, this study evaluates green total factor productivity (GTFP) in China’s apple industry. A balanced panel of eight major apple-producing provincial-level regions from 2006 to 2024 is analyzed using a Global Malmquist-Luenberger index with carbon emissions as an undesirable output. GTFP is decomposed into technical change (TECH) and efficiency change (EFFCH), and cumulative indices are examined using the Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, σ convergence, and absolute and conditional β-convergence models. From 2007 to 2024, annual GTFP decreased by 0.54% on average, as a 0.20% annual TECH gain was outweighed by a 0.74% decline in EFFCH. Cumulative performance diverged across provinces and production regions: the Bohai Rim improved slightly, whereas the Loess Plateau declined. The national σtrend was insignificant; the Bohai Rim converged, while the Loess Plateau diverged. Negative and significant β coefficients indicate growth compensation following relatively low cumulative index levels, and this relationship strengthened after controlling for regional steady-state conditions. However, β-convergence did not produce sustained nationwide distributional convergence. Policies should therefore link technological progress with persistent efficiency improvements and region-specific diffusion mechanisms.