Global aluminium producer seeks Q2 premium of $260/T from Japan buyers, sources say

TOKYO, March 6 (Reuters) - A global aluminium producer has offered Japanese buyers a premium of $260 per metric ton for April-June primary metal shipments, up 14% from the current quarter, two sources directly involved in pricing talks said this week.

Japan is a major Asian importer of the metal and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price CMAL0 set the benchmark for the region.

For the January-March quarter, Japanese buyers agreed to pay a premium of $228 per ton PREM-ALUM-JP, up 30% from the prior quarter. It marked the highest level in about 10 years.