In Greenland, there are 64 settlements with a Pilersuisoq store, and in total Pilersuisoq has 67 stores distributed throughout the country. Source: Ritzau Scanpix, Mads Claus Rasmussen
Every winter, shipping with goods to North and East Greenland is temporarily stopped due to ice conditions. But a citizen of Upernavik believes that the recurring shortage of goods should be handled better, perhaps like in Greenland’s Arctic neighbour, Russia.
The problem of supplying the regions of the Far North with everything they need in winter was solved at the state level back in the days of the USSR. Just over a year ago, on April 1, the law on Northern delivery came into force in Russia. It will allow the delivery of essential goods to the northern territories in a timely manner and at lower prices.
Northern delivery is a set of actions to provide residents of hard-to-reach territories of the Far North with vital goods, food, medicines and other goods intended for the implementation of investment projects in these same hard-to-reach areas. More than three million people are supplied through northern delivery, which is almost 60 times more than the population of all of Greenland.
The Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East became the sole federal coordinator of the northern delivery. The Ministry will be responsible for developing its plan, approving the route and schedule of ships involved in regular coastal shipping, and monitoring cargo delivery.
Seven categories of goods are classified as northern delivery cargo, which will be delivered to the regions of the Far North on a priority basis: fuel and energy resources, fuel and lubricants, socially significant food products, essential non-food products, medicines, medical products and specialized therapeutic nutrition products - about 160 items in total. As part of the northern delivery, regional authorities can provide businesses with budget loans for the purchase and delivery of these goods.
Settlements of 21 constituent entities of the Russian Federation were included in the list of territories where, with state support, goods will be delivered as part of the northern delivery: the republics of Altai, Buryatia, Karelia, Komi, Sakha (Yakutia) and Tyva, the Trans-Baikal, Kamchatka, Krasnoyarsk, Perm and Khabarovsk territories, the Amur, Arkhangelsk, Irkutsk, Magadan, Murmansk, Sakhalin and Tyumen regions, the Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Chukotka, as well as the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (Yugra).
When Hans Mattaaq from Upernavik goes shopping in the winter, he is often greeted by long, empty shelves in Pilersuisoq.
Already in February, we could feel that the goods were running out. These are cold cuts such as cheese, eggs and completely ordinary food items, says Hans Mattaaq. It can be difficult to get goods on the coast in winter - and some goods in particular are torn off the shelves. And this is a great frustration for the citizens.
It is not unusual for goods to run out in North Greenland in winter, where ship transport cannot reach them due to ice. KNI’s goods director, Jeppe Jensen, confirms that every year there are challenges in the supply to Upernavik.
Bad Weather Causes Delays
Air Greenland’s planes are used instead when KNI cannot get supplies to the Pilersuisoq stores by ship, says Jeppe Jensen.
For six months of the year, the cargo ship does not sail to Upernavik. We use air transport as part of the solution, but this year bad weather has delayed deliveries, says Jeppe Jensen.
This ensures that some goods can still arrive – but air transport is expensive, and this can be felt in the prices for consumers.
“Until the cargo ship can sail with goods again, we have an agreement with Air Greenland to reserve space on their planes for the transport of necessary goods,” says Jeppe Jensen, who adds that it annoys KNI when citizens are greeted with empty shelves.
The Selection does not Suit Us
But even though planes with goods arrive in Upernavik in the winter, Hans Mattaaq says that he rarely sees the goods in the store. They are torn off the shelves with lightning speed.
There are enough goods arriving by plane, but I have never seen them in the store. I never get it. When a delivery lands, there are a few people who buy in bulk, and then it sells out immediately. So even though air deliveries arrive, the rest of us don’t get anything, he says.
“Fresh vegetables in particular are rare to find,” he adds.
“We never see vegetables. Maybe they have arrived, but Pilersuisoq has not delivered a selection that suits us here in Upernavik.”
Hans Mattaaq has no doubt that shortages of other goods also occur, without you necessarily noticing it.
“I keep an eye on some specific goods myself. But I am sure that other goods that I do not use myself also sell out without me noticing.”
Logistics manager at KNI, Jeppe Jensen, confirms that there is no concrete solution to the recurring supply problems in the more isolated settlements.
He says that a few years ago, KNI investigated the possibility of importing goods from the USA, but that they chose to continue with European suppliers because the transport route from the USA was too expensive.
Source:
- Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation (in Russian)
- Kalaallit Nunaata Radioa (in Danish)