Cuba boosts sales of nickel to West

Cuba says it has quadrupled nickel sales to western countries and it has plans to double its nickel production by the year 2000.

Dependent economically in the past on the former Soviet Union (for example, for subsidized oil supplies) and on formerly communist Eastern Europe for most of its nickel sales, Cuba is projecting output of the base metal this year of 50,000 tons. State nickel company Cubaniquel is projecting annual nickel output of 80,000 tons by 1996 and 100,000 tons by the year 2000.