Punjab appeared to be set to create a record of sorts as the State Government on Friday claimed that procurement of wheat by various official agencies had already exceeded the target of 80 lakh tonnes fixed by the Union Government. An official release quoting a spokesman of the State Government said 82.94 lakh tonnes of wheat had already been procured for the Central pool by May 1, as against 55.06 lakh tonnes on the same date last year. With the pace of arrivals of the food grains being witnessed in the mandis, the State Government expects to contribute more than 90 lakh tonnes of wheat for the Central buffer stock this rabi season. The spokesman said that six government agencies and private millers had purchased more than 86.59 lakh tonnes of wheat, out of which 82.94 lakh tonnes amounting to 95.80 per cent had been procured for the Central pool, while the remainder was for the State pool. Of the total arrivals, government agencies procured 97.5 per cent and private traders only 2.5 per cent. While the Food Corporation of India directly procured just 10.8 per cent, MARKFED led by procuring 23.7 per cent of the total arrivals across the State. It was followed by PUNSUP with 22.7 per cent, PUNGRAIN 18.4 per cent, Punjab State Warehousing Corporation 12.8 per cent and Punjab Agro Industries Corporation 11.5 per cent for the Central pool. Ferozepur district with 10.09 lakh tonnes led the procurement operations whereas Sangrur district with 9.09 lakh tonnes was second and Ludhiana with 7.82 lakh tonnes third in the tally. The Punjab Government has made payments amounting to more than Rs. 7954 crore for wheat procured till April 30, strictly adhering to directions of ensuring payment to the farmers within 48 hours of lifting their purchased stocks. The State Government has set up over 1,615 procurement centres and activated its total machinery to ensure smooth procurement of wheat, the spokesman added.