IT says a lot about the bureaucratic inefficiency endemic in the country to see that the wheat procurement drive that is a yearly feature invariably brings in its wake widespread complaints of the shortage of gunny bags (bardana). There are public protests when the farmers vent their anger, turning violent at times; surprise visits of high officials and Ministers to collection centres to tone up the process that result in the suspension of some junior officials on charges of corruption or carelessness; and declarations galore to set things right. All the same, the problem remains, if it does not rear its head in a more serious form the next time. This is precisely what is happening these days in certain wheat growing districts of Punjab. Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif's visit to the various procurement centres in Sargodha on Friday might help matters to an extent and put officials on the alert, especially as he told the farmers to contact him in case of complaint. However, with roughly four million tonnes of wheat yet to be purchased from the cultivators against a procurement target that was revised to six million tonnes following reports of a bumper crop, there is every likelihood that the scenario would keep recurring. Adequate and timely remedial measures could ease the problem somewhat, but with a major part of the procurement drive still to be handled and that too within a matter of a month or so, the cultivators' complaints and frustration would not go away. One hopes that the suggestion, reportedly being considered, to register wheat growers who would be indicating approximate yield of their crops would solve the problem and also help form an idea of quantity of the total crop.