Dubovyazovsky sugar factory

The beet-sugar factory in the village of Dubovyazovka, Konotop district, Chernihiv province of the Russian Empire was built in 1898 - after the construction of the Konotop-Vorozhba railway line, economic development of the surrounding area intensified. Initially, the workers of the plant were local peasants, the working conditions were difficult - the workers lived in barracks, the working day was 12-14 hours, fines were imposed for minor violations ^[1] .

During the first Russian revolution in September 1905, day laborers who worked at the plant began a strike, together with workers from other sugar factories putting forward a demand to introduce an 8-hour working day and political demands. After that, the Cossacks were stationed in the Dubovyazovka area ^[1] .

In June 1917, the primary trade union organization was created at the sugar factory, which elected a factory committee of 17 people and introduced an 8-hour working day and production control over the enterprise. In early September 1917, the peasants of Dubovyazovka divided the lands of the Dubovyazovsky sugar plant among themselves, plowed them and sowed winter crops ^[1] .

In the first half of November 1917, Soviet power was established in Dubovyazovka and was elected as a three-member revolutionary who headed the locksmith of the Dubovyazovsky sugar factory M.P. Lifarenko. After that, the workers obtained from the board of the sugar factory the abolition of the system of monetary fines and the provision on the immediate dismissal of workers who expressed their disagreement with the factory administration ^[1] .

1918 - 1991

In March 1918, German troops advancing along the railway line reached the border of Konotop district. The factory committee of the Dubovyazovsky sugar factory and the population of Dubovyazovka helped sugar and other products to parts of the Red Army, which for ten days fought defensive battles with German units at Dubovyazovka junction, but at the end of March 1918 the village was occupied by Austro-German troops , who remained here until November 1918 year ^[1] .

In early January 1919, the village was occupied by parts of the Red Army, sugar and distilleries were nationalized, and the Dubovyazovsky state farm was created to provide the sugar factory with raw materials, but later on, the territory of Konotop Uyezd was in the combat zone of the civil war until December 1919. In December 1919, the retreating units of Denikin’s army sacked the plant ^[1] .

The restoration of enterprises began in 1920, in September 1921 it resumed work and in the first season produced 13,920 pounds of sugar ^[1] .

In 1923, Dubovyazovka became the center of the village council and a medical center was opened at the sugar factory, which played a significant role in protecting the health of local residents. In 1925, as a result of the merger of the Dubovyazovsky Sugar Plant and the state farm providing it with raw materials (with 3,500 hectares of land), the Dubovyazovsky Sugar Mill was created. In 1926, a railway line was laid from Dubovyazovka station to the enterprise, which allowed to increase the productivity and number of workers of the sugar factory (up to 308 people) ^[1] .

During the industrialization of the 1930s, the plant was reconstructed and expanded. At the same time, due to an increase in sugar production, sugar beet crops in the Dubovyazovsky district were increased ^[1] .

During the Great Patriotic War from September 11, 1941 to September 7, 1943, the village was occupied by German troops , before the retreat the Nazis completely destroyed the sugar factory ^[1] .

In 1943, the factory power station was repaired, then the railway line and factory workshops. Later, in accordance with the fourth five-year plan for the restoration and development of the national economy of the USSR (1946 - 1950), the sugar mill and beet farm were completely restored ^[2] , and a new thermal power station was also built ^[1] .

In 1960, the enterprise produced 250.1 thousand centners of sugar, in 1965 - 471.7 thousand centners of sugar ^[1] .

In general, in Soviet times, the sugar factory was one of the leading enterprises in the village ^{[2] [3] [4]} . On the balance sheet of the plant were the factory club, village library, first-aid post, as well as residential buildings and other objects of social infrastructure ^[1] .

After 1991

After the independence of Ukraine, the plant was transferred to the state committee of the food industry of Ukraine ^[5] .

In July 1995, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a decision on the privatization of the sugar factory and Dubovyazovsky beet farm ^[5] . Subsequently, the state-owned enterprise was transformed into an open joint stock company .

In July 2005, the Dubovyazovsky Sugar Refinery went bankrupt ^[6] , stopped work ^[7] and then ceased to exist ^[8] .