As soon as the grain coupon system was announced, many people panicked. They didn't care about national macro-control; they simply felt that food would be insufficient or prices would rise, and they had to stock up before purchase limits were imposed.
They wanted to buy more and hoard more, just in case.
Those with less foresight rushed to supermarkets to buy rice.
Those with slightly better foresight went to buy raw grains like rice and wheat.
However, relevant orders from the Grain Administration had already been issued to major grain merchants and large supermarkets.
So, those who wanted to take advantage of the situation to rush to buy could only come up empty-handed.
Hoarding and speculation were even more out of the question.
Overall, major grain merchants and supermarkets, having received orders, dared not sell grain without coupons. Smaller supermarkets, which had not stocked much rice and flour, were also unwilling to sell even to make a profit later.
After announcing this new regulation, the government promptly followed up by announcing that this month's grain coupons would be officially distributed starting today, to stabilize public sentiment.
They also stated that this was the initial phase of the new system.
Starting next month, grain coupons would be distributed on the first of every month, and the number of grain coupons jointly issued by the Grain Administration and the Civil Affairs department would be absolutely sufficient for the monthly normal consumption of an adult.
If it wasn't enough, it could only be attributed to residents being too wasteful.
They hoped everyone would conserve grain and avoid waste...
Subsequently, those with mobile phones could directly download the official application software of the Grain Administration, register with their real names, and log in to receive this month's grain coupons.
Those without phones or unable to use them could bring their identification or household registration book, or any other document proving their identity, to their local grain department for verification and collection of physical grain coupons.
The minimum coupon denomination was one jin, and the maximum was fifty jin.
Since large bags of rice and flour on the market were generally around fifty jin, and an adult could at most receive sixty jin of grain coupons per month, with the largest denomination being fifty jin, it was perfectly convenient.
Buying large bags of rice and flour wouldn't require change.
Because the Grain Administration was very timely in distributing grain coupons, many families who didn't habitually store food and had less than five jin of rice and flour combined didn't even have time to voice complaints before being appeased by the Grain Administration's actions. After all, the coupons had already been issued.
They couldn't then claim to have nothing to eat.
Thus, the matter was settled.
Any individual opinions couldn't create much of a stir.
...
The implementation of the grain coupon system had no impact on Ding Yun's family. Their family of five, except for the youngest Ding Yang who only received forty jin of grain coupons, each of the others received sixty jin per month.
The family of five combined received two hundred and eighty jin.
Frankly, if they used all these grain coupons to buy rice and flour, let alone a month, they probably couldn't finish it in three months.
This was because their family usually ate a lot of meat and vegetables. The ample nutrition made them less hungry, and their stomachs couldn't digest so much staple food. When the husband and wife ate at the cafeteria and the children ate at school, their family consumed at most thirty to forty jin of rice per month.
The recent increase in consumption was due to them no longer eating at the cafeteria and eating at home, but even so, they consumed less than a hundred jin of rice per month.
Therefore, the introduction of grain coupons had no impact on Ding Yun's family. It merely made going out to eat a bit more troublesome, requiring them to bring their coupons.
But with electronic coupons, there was no need to worry about losing or forgetting them.
The vast majority of families in the country were similar to Ding Yun's family; they couldn't consume that much rice and flour. Some even had a surplus to give to family members studying or working elsewhere.
Those significantly affected were mainly people who never cooked for themselves.
One jin of grain coupons plus three to five yuan could buy one jin of flour. For people with small appetites, one jin of flour could make enough steamed buns to last two days, or even three days for those with even smaller appetites.
However, if one jin of grain coupons was used to buy steamed buns, even with the normal payment for the buns, it would only yield three buns.
Similarly, for noodles and the like, one jin of grain coupons could only buy three liang of noodles.
This meant that for people who liked staple foods, had large appetites, consistently ate takeout or at restaurants, and never cooked at home, sixty jin of grain coupons would be a bit tight. They would often need subsidies from home. The end result was that some began to be frugal or tried cooking for themselves, only buying items like braised dishes or stir-fries that didn't require coupons.
Others unceremoniously asked their families for grain coupons, thinking that since their families couldn't use them all, why not let them use them, as unused coupons would be wasted.
Regardless, since the promotion of the grain coupon system, the total national grain consumption had indeed decreased significantly, and the proportion of waste had been reduced. Based on specific data, there was still considerable room to reduce the grain coupon supply. However, the Grain Administration, considering the potential decrease in livestock farming and further increase in meat prices, expected people to consume more staple grains in the future, so they did not reduce the supply.
They merely continued to urge everyone to be thrifty and avoid waste.
They also increased funding for major agricultural research institutes for improved seed cultivation.
There was no alternative; the environmental degradation was clearly irreversible, and even with the utmost thriftiness from the general public, there were limits.
Therefore, they could only try to cultivate grain seeds that could adapt to the current extreme environment. Although it was uncertain if it would work, it was at least a direction for effort.
Even a small success could yield much more grain.
In addition, various propaganda channels actively cooperated, hoping people would face the current problems squarely but without excessive panic. National strategic grain reserves could support three to five years, and the nationwide grain reduction was not a complete failure. The problem was surmountable.
Furthermore, there was policy inclination across various sectors.
All companies involved in agronomy projects and increasing crop yields, including those in bio-fertilizers and other related fields, received the maximum policy support.
Taxation was basically reduced to zero.
Subsidies were also provided.
In addition, subsidies for all agronomy students, supervisors, and project research applications were significantly increased. In short, the country was making every effort to ensure the staple food for all its population by tilting policies and resources towards agronomy and related projects.
It could be said they were truly putting in a great deal of effort.
These unavoidable measures directly led to Ding Yun, after finishing her college entrance exams and becoming the top scorer in liberal arts in her province, choosing the most renowned agricultural university in her province to major in plant breeding when filling out her college application.
The current situation was quite clear.
The most critical issue in the future world would likely no longer be energy, but food. The more populous a country, the heavier its burden. Achieving even minor success in this area could gain significant influence, making it the most suitable path for her.