Brazilian Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias has said her country can export more pork to Asia now that African swine fever has struck China, Reuters reports.

The news agency quotes Ms Dias as saying in Brasília that the outbreak of the disease is an opportunity for Brazil to increase its output and exports of pork.

In December her predecessor as agriculture minister, Blairo Maggi, said China might permit more imports of poultry and pork from Brazil after Chinese inspectors checked meat-packing plants there.

Mr Maggi said 79 Brazilian meat-packing plants had asked for permission to export to China, and that if all obtained permission, it would double the number of plants allowed to export poultry and pork to China, Reuters reported at the time.