History
of Science and Technology
Bey Roman V.
Doctor of Historical Science
THE
FORMATION OF THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY IN UKRAINE
The alcohol industry is traditional in the food
industry of Ukraine and one of the most profitable in the national economic
complex of Ukraine. It plays an important role in the efficient functioning of
the pharmaceutical and food industries, agro-industrial and fuel and energy
complexes. The further development of the industry is based on taking into
account better historical experience, the development of strategic initiatives,
and formation of the new needs for the fuller use of production potential. So
the purpose of the research is to analyze the main trends and achievements of
the formation of the alcohol industry in the Ukrainian lands in the second half
of the XVIII and early XIX centuries.
In
the Russian Empire, which included Ukrainian land, the production of ethyl
alcohol have began in the XV century by the method of distillation of fermentation products in
distillation cubes with heating. The introduction of primary technologies for
the production of alcohol and its purification took place at the end of the XIX
century. Until the first half of the XIX century the production of ethyl
alcohol and alcoholic beverages was under state control and regulated by it [1].
In
the first half of the XIX century there was a disposal system that was
convenient for the state, since it did not require a large staff of controlling
officials. After the peasant reform of 1861, the Russian Empire finally became
on a path to capitalist development. The tsarist government in search of steady
state budget revenues established an excise tax on ethyl alcohol from 1863 and
introduced a system for accurate accounting of its production. In the pre-revolutionary
alcohol industry, the excise tax was levied on recycled raw materials, and the
excise tax rate was tied to the predicted, rather than the actual yield of
alcohol from raw materials. In the pre-revolutionary alcohol industry processed
raw materials were subject to excise duties, and the excise tax rate was
related to the predicted, rather than the actual yield of alcohol from raw
materials. The excise system forced the owners of the factories to introduce
technical improvements, which allowed using raw materials more efficiently for
the purpose of obtaining additional revenues [1].
Due
to the lack of a proper machine-building base in the Russian Empire, the owners
of plants ordered a significant amount of foreign equipment. In the course of
its operation, domestic specialists made many valuable improvements, while
creating new types of equipment. At the same time the alcohol production
technology have also improved.
By
1890 most domestic alcoholic beverages were medium-sized capitalist
enterprises. The current excise system was disadvantageous for small alcoholic
beverages of agricultural type. They did not withstand competition and were
forced to stop the production of alcohol.
In
1890, the government introduced a law to replace the excise tax system, which
introduced special incentives for factories producing alcohol in the
countryside. The law prohibited the construction of large alcohol plants in the
cities, as well as their construction by joint-stock companies. The law allowed
the existence of some non-agricultural alcoholic beverages, especially in the
Urals, Siberia and the North Caucasus [2].
"Regulations
on the monopoly sale vodka by state" in 1895 allowed the use only
rectified alcohol. At the same time, the requirements for the quality and concentration
of raw alcohol that delivered to the state were increased. As a result the
owners of the alcohol plants equipped them with more modern, continuously
operating distilleries instead of low-performance cubicles of periodic action.
Due to this, fuel and water consumption has decreased, alcohol output has
increased and product quality has increased.
The
number of alcohol plants which had the departments of rectification increased
from 100 in 1890 to 400 in 1900. The amount of rectified alcohol during this
period increased by 5.5 times. After the introduction of a monopoly on alcohol,
the state became the sole buyer of all alcohol produced for the domestic
market. Each plant had the norm of alcohol receipt by the state, which limited
its production. In 1905–1906 they began to use continuously functioning
distillation apparatus, on which rectified alcohol was obtained with less fuel
and water consumption at lower losses of alcohol [3].
In
the 60's and 70's of the ХІХ century ethyl alcohol was mainly made from grains.
In the raw material balance of the pre-revolutionary alcohol industry, potatoes
were ranked first and its production increased in those areas where this
culture gave good crops. This was due to the fact that in the 80's of the XIX
century the railway network has already been built, foreign markets got open
for Russia. Grains were sold abroad and its use for the production of alcohol
was not profitable [4].
In
1917, most of the plants producing alcohol from potatoes were located in the north-western,
central, and south-western regions of the country. Plants producing alcohol
from grain were located in the Urals, the North Caucasus, the Far East, Siberia
and south-western Ukraine. Plants which made alcohol from molasses were located
in areas of the sugar factories. Sometimes they were combined enterprises with
sugar plants. Only a small number of alcoholic plants in the Russian Empire had
a more perfect production technique. However, the work of these plants did not
have a significant impact on the average indicators in the country, since its
percentage was low. An important technical indicator – the yield of alcohol
from the ton of conditional starch did not exceed 57 dal, it corresponded to
79% of the theoretically possible output of alcohol. In
1913, there were 2300 alcoholic plants in the Russian Empire, of which 479
(20.8%) were on Ukrainian lands, the average capacity of a plant was 335 and
59.3 thousand dal, alcohol production – 55.2 and 14.8 million dal respectively
[5].
By
the number of produced ethyl alcohol the Russian Empire ranked first in the
world, by the general level of industrial production – the fifth, by the
percentage of alcohol consumption for the production of strong alcoholic
beverages – the first, by the use of it for technical purposes – last one.
After
the start of the First World War in 1914, the production of vodka on the
territory of the Russian Empire was suspended, that reduced the overall need
for alcohol. The need for alcohol for technical purposes was met mainly due to
existing stocks.
Thus
production of ethyl alcohol in the Russian Empire, which included Ukrainian
lands, began in the XV century. The formation of the alcohol industry was more
intense after the peasant reform of 1861, due to the state interest in
obtaining additional profits and the export of alcohol. The author has
identified three periods of formation of the alcohol industry. The first period
(1863-1890) was initiated by the introduction of the excise system on alcohol
and the accounting of its production; the improvement of technology and
expansion of the raw material base. The second period (1891-1913) involves the
introduction of a special law that supports the creation of alcoholic factories
in rural areas; increasing its total number and improving the technical
equipment. The
third period (1914-1917) affected the suspension of the production and export
of alcohol through military events. It was established that 20.8% of the alcoholic
factories of the Russia functioned on Ukrainian lands; ones produced 28.9% of
the total alcohol. The
average productivity of native alcoholic factories was 29% higher. Exports of
alcohol from Ukraine amounted to 67.4% of its exports. The author has determined that
regions of the prevailing development of the alcohol industry caused by the
intensity of farming, the location of raw materials.
1.
Кочубеева М.Т. Экономика, организация
и планирование спиртового и ликерно-водочного производства. М., 1977. 343 с.
2.
Новинский М.Г. Винокуренная
промышленность и торговля спиртомъ въ Юго-Западномъ крае
// Хозяйство. 1913. №10. С. 331–337.
3.
Пыхов
В.Г. Экономика, организация и планирование спиртового производства. 2-е изд.,
перераб. и доп. М., 1973. 259 с.
4. Рудницкий
П.В., Коваленко А.Д., Раев З.А. Справочник работника спиртовой промышленности.
К.: Техника, 1972. 381 с.
5.
Рудницкий
П.В. Формы общественной организации спиртового производства // Технология
переработки мелассы на спирт и другие продукты. К., 1978. Вып. XIV. С. 3–18.