Pochinki potash office in the middle of the XVIII century: projects to overcome the crisis of potash production

The article discusses the measures proposed to restore the profitability of potash production in the 1750s. The author shows that from the very beginning the public potash industry was actually export-oriented industry that gives additional interest to its study. Pochinki potash firm was created for its management in 1708. In the second half of XVII - the first third of the XVIII century the Russian government tried to gain the maximum profit from potash trade not due to increased sales volumes but by maintaining high prices. But in 1732 the strategy of potash trade changed dramatically: the course to sell a large number of potash at a lower price was chosen. This change of allowed to increase the profit, but it required the exertion of all forces of potash office and created a crisis that led to the reduction of large-scale potash production in Russia. In 1755 the commander of Pochinki potash office Dmitry Ladygin presented the project on reforming the potash industry; the main objective of it was to increase the efficiency of potash production and the resumption of large-scale exports of potash. But export-oriented industrial production was interesting to the government only in case of significant profit at minimum cost. According to the author's opinion, this attempt did not give results because Russia lost its sector on the European market, which was occupied by foreign manufacturers.