The Punjab government on Tuesday said it will urge the Centre to increase the monthly lifting of wheat and paddy to at least 12 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) to create adequate storage space ahead of the upcoming procurement seasons.The Group of Ministers was apprised that in the present year, the movement of foodgrain from the state stands at 75.67 LMT from January to July.The issue was discussed during a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) comprising agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian, food and civil supplies minister Lal Chand Kataruchak and water resources minister Barinder Kumar Goyal, who reviewed arrangements for the 2026-27 paddy procurement and 2027-28 wheat procurement season.The GoM was apprised that in the present year, the movement of foodgrain from the state stands at 75.67 LMT from January to July. Out of this, 37.13 LMT is wheat and 38.54 LMT is paddy. The total covered space available is 181 LMT, comprising covered space and silos, while the open capacity is 68 LMT. The minister highlighted that the current movement of foodgrains is only 5 LMT.The GoM decided to seek time from the Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution to personally take up various issues, especially the movement of foodgrains from the state.It was also brought to the attention of the GoM that a target of procuring 180 LMT of paddy for the central pool has been demanded from the Centre in respect of the upcoming paddy procurement season. Besides, the draft Custom Milling Policy has been sent to the finance department for approval. As regards the rabi marketing season 2027-28, there is a likelihood of the central government fixing the procurement target at 132 LMT.Varinder Kumar Sharma, director, food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department; Vishesh Sarangal, Markfed managing director; and Nikita Pawar, FCI general manager, were among those present.