Brazilian pulp and paper company Suzano SA and its Chinese customers are likely to agree this month on a higher price for its pulp, Reuters reports, quoting Suzano Chief Executive Walter Schalka.

The news agency quotes Mr Schalka as telling a news teleconference that his company has no plan to curtail its output because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report says the 11 Suzano factories in Brazil are all working normally to meet growing demand worldwide for materials for making disposable tissues and protective masks.

It quotes Mr Schalka as saying Suzano is buying in China 159 ventilators and 1 million surgical masks, together worth 50 million reals (US$9.7 million), for use in Brazil.

The company and Brazilian diplomats in China are working together to have the goods shipped promptly, Reuters quotes Suzano lawyer Pablo Machado as saying.