GE calls for political action on threatened shrimp factory

Naalakkersuisoq for Fisheries Peter Borg has indicated that Polar Seafood and Royal Greenland will find a solution through a dialogue to save the shrimp factory in Aasiaat. However, the dialogue has been there without it being possible to find a solution, director and co-owner Bent Salling from Polar Seafood has informed Sermitsiaq.

The fact that the two fishing giants in Greenland's business sector cannot find a solution is well understood by the director of Greenland Business Christian Keldsen.

- One company acts on market terms, while the other must also take on some sectoral policy considerations, which lie outside the core of what the company is set up to do. They are both good at their tasks, but with different prerequisites, it may be difficult to meet, is the explanation from Christian Keldsen.

Consolidation

- If PSG is to act 100% commercially under the current conditions, it would be worthwhile to consolidate and move its shrimp production to Nuuk. This will close the Aasiaat factory. If the answer from Naalakkersuisut is that the reason for the decline is solely due to the decline in total volumes, then consolidation will be the only right solution with the consequences that it now has. That way, they can best protect the business and the people who are at risk of losing jobs elsewhere in the system if they do not act in a timely manner, is the assessment from the GE director.

The total shrimp quota has fallen by 35 percent in just a few years - from 115,000 tons in 2022 to 75,000 tons this year, and there are four shrimp factories in this country. In this connection, Peter Borg has also assessed that the competition between the factories for the favor of shrimp fishermen is expected to become tougher in 2026.

Christian Keldsen points out the problem:

- If, on the other hand, it is a question of political redistribution that is the reason that Polar Seafood Greenland only gets 6,000 tons of the 10,000 tons of shrimp that they need to keep the factory operating, then it is not a question of biology, but of politics. In such a scenario, one must politically assess how one will relate to the 116 employees - and the many related derivative jobs - in Aasiaat, as well as the consequences it will have for Aasiaat if such an important function disappears, states Christian Keldsen.

Familiar scenario

- We must assume that the political has already had these thoughts when the scenario arose in connection with the fisheries law process. As citizens of a democracy, we can well demand that the political has taken a position on all scenarios and calculated the consequences of them, especially when it comes to the citizens'/voters' jobs and livelihoods. So we must assume that there is a political plan ready in the drawer that we can now pull out, which has taken a position on the mentioned scenario, which has been known for two years, says Christian Keldsen.

The GE director acknowledges that Naalakkersuisoq for Fisheries, Peter Borg, has taken over a difficult area, where there may be some "severe inherited obstacles in the political background".

- However, we have confidence that he can solve the problem with the shrimp factory in Aasiaat, emphasizes Christian Keldsen.