Alexander Tsiuryupa

Alexander Dmitrievich Tsiuryupa ( _ru. Александр Дмитриевич Цюрупа, September 19 (O.S. October 1) 1870, Oleshki (currently Tsiurupynsk) — May 8, 1928, Muhalatka village of Oliva urban-type settlement, Crimea) was a Soviet state and Party figure.

:1917—1921 — Vice-chief and, later, Chief of food of RSFSR:1922—1923 — Vice-chief of Sovnarkom of RSFSR, USSR:1923—1925 — Chief of Gosplan of USSR:1925—1928 — Narkom of external and internal trade of USSR

On his official duties he faced a tough problem of food supplies of the starving newly created republic. In October 1917 he successfully organized the trainloads of bread to Petrograd.

Prodotryads

On May 8, 1918 on the Sovnarkom meeting he suggested to introduce in the country a food ration dictatorship. That was done by a Decree of VTsIK central executive committee on May 13, 1918. He was also one of the organizators of the so-called "foodgroups" ("prodotryad", _ru. продотряд), the workers groups made for the purpose of stocking up grain and other food rations in an effort to supply the various industrial centers and the Red Army. [http://www.humanities.edu.ru/db/msg/38101 Продотряды] , 22.10.2003, RUDN ru icon]

First prodotryads formed of workers, soldiers and seamans of Petrograd and Moscow committees were sent to the grain-producing areas in November 1917. Since the beginning of 1918 as the food ration starvation strained again prodotyads appeared in most of the industrial centers.

Participation was voluntarily, by the recommendation of the soviets and Party leaders.

Price was fixed. Sometimes the food was requisited from kulaks - considered the "saboteurs".

Acquired food was divided on a 50%/50% basis - half taken by the organisation which sent the prodotryad and half was donated to Narkomprod (People's Commissariat for the Food Supply).

With an emergence of NEP, the new economic policy, prodotryads were disbanded in 1921.

References