The directive on the obligatory supply of no less than 60 million poods of grain to the center had from the very beginning caused the Siberian Krai authorities to fear that this would negatively affect Siberia's internal grain requirements. During the discussion of plan targets in the autumn of 1927, the leadership of the Siberian Krai took the following circumstances into account. During the previous three years, state procurements in the Siberian grain market had almost doubled, from 48 to 80 million poods. Accordingly, the share of Siberian grain in all-union procurements had also grown, from 9 to 12 percent. When approving the procurement plan for the 1927–28 economic year, the provincial party committee proceeded from the need to maintain procurements at the previous year's level. However, it was clear that the harvest would be lower in Siberia in 1927. Zlobin, the head of Sibkraitorg, believed that not less than 24 million poods would be necessary for internal Siberian consumption and suggested setting a realistic target for grain procurements in the krai at 74 million poods (50 million for exportation and 24 million for consumption within the krai), while 6 million would be considered “an insurance amount” if the campaign went successfully. Subsequent developments showed that Zlobin's assessment had been correct. The enforced plan of grain procurements in Siberia (82 million poods, out of which 60 million were intended for the center) was fulfilled by 96 percent. However, in addition to other negative consequences, the fulfillment of the plan caused substantial grain supply shortages in Siberian cities and industrial settlements during the spring and summer of 1928—for the first time since the beginning of the NEP.

See TSD , vol. 1, pp. 778–79, n51.

See introduction to this chapter.

Roughly 4,000 people were mobilized for work in grain requisitioning at this time. See TSD , vol. 1, p. 779, n54.

This is a reference to the “Extreme Grain Troika” created under the Siberian Krai party committee on 10 January 1928. The troika held full plenipotentiary power throughout Siberia for the course of the grain requisitioning campaign. Its members were S. I. Syrtsov, R. I. Eikhe, and A. N. Zlobin. See TSD , vol. 1, p. 780, n55.

The Siberian Krai organizations raised the issue of the problem of the difference in grain prices between Siberian border regions and Kazakhstan to Stalin and Mikoian. Grain prices in Kazakhstan tended to be higher than grain prices in Siberia, thus allowing for unfair competition among state grain procurement agencies and influencing Siberian peasants to hold on to their grain in hope of a price increase. See TSD , vol. 1, p. 780, n56.