Greenland Hopes To Import More Icelandic Produce

In the face of increasing consumer demand for Icelandic dairy product, skyr, Greenlandic supermarkets are looking to increase import from Iceland, reports the Arctic Journal.

As an autonomous country within the Danish Kingdom, Greenlandic supermarkets typically import most of their produce from Denmark. But after the Pisiffik supermarket chain began importing skyr directly from Iceland in order to keep up with consumer demand, purchasers started exploring whether they could import other products from Iceland as well.

“In addition to skyr, we’ve been importing fresh milk and buttermilk from Iceland,” said Niels Andersen, the purchasing manager with a Pisiffik outlet in Nuuk. “It’s a lot cheaper than if we had it flown in from Denmark.”

By importing from Iceland, Pisiffik can sell fresh milk for 600 ISK (5 USD) per litre. Meanwhile the retail price of fresh imported Danish milk by comparison, is 1000 ISK (7 USD) per litre. In Denmark, that same litre of milk costs 200 ISK, less than two dollars.

In addition to dairy products, Pisiffik has also begun importing Icelandic greenhouse vegetables such as lettuce, carrots and cucumbers. The import of retail goods such as clothing and electronics, remains prohibitively high, however.

Pisiffik’s efforts to increase the import of Icelandic produce comes in the wake of lawmakers from the West Nordic Council – which is made up of the Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands – saying they would like to help stimulate trade among the three countries.