Bunhill: Times are changing in Cuba

TIMES are changing in Cuba. Ten years ago, a Cuban foreign trade official was persuaded by a European soya bean exporter that it would be much cheaper for Cuba to import the beans in bulk rather than in bags as before - the company even offered to set up a bagging operation in Cuba for the government, financed by the difference in price.

But the Cuban bureaucracy rejected the idea. Ten years later, the bulk importing deal has gone through without a hitch, now that Cuban foreign trade companies are self- financing and are expected to show a profit.