Stockpiling involves accumulating a large quantity of something.
Acopio is the process and result of collecting . This verb mentions the act of accumulating something , usually provisions or food. For example: “The municipality announced the creation of a seed collection center,” “The collection of donations will take place in the city's schools,” “The police detected three drug collection sites near the border.”
The definition of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy, among others, indicates that the accumulation must occur in large quantities so that we can speak of collection. This is because it is not a casual action, but voluntary, with a well-defined objective.
collection center
In many regions , it is common for there to be collection centers that bring together the production of those entrepreneurs who, due to size, have difficulties marketing their products directly. These collection spaces allow small producers to reduce their costs and negotiate together, obtaining more benefits when selling their merchandise.
Let's take the case of a town where many people live from artisanal fishing , which is carried out in small boats and on a reduced scale. These fishermen usually sell the fish on the beach, placing the merchandise in containers with ice so that it does not rot. The local government, with the intention that fishermen can store fish for longer and sell it wholesale, creates a collection center with a cold room . In this way, artisanal fishermen are not obliged to sell fresh fish straight out of the sea, but rather have more marketing possibilities.
In emergency situations, the collection of basic products is frequent.
Help the competition
It is important to understand that the main purpose of collection centers is to allow small producers to compete in the markets of large urbanizations with quality items and sufficient quantity to meet demand.
Another example of a collection center occurs on the main roads of agricultural production regions that are relatively far from the most important cities. Production is concentrated there, then it undergoes a selection and packaging process, and finally it is sent to urban markets. Some of the elements common to these centers are a warehouse adapted to loading and unloading vegetables, sorting tables and scales.
Stockpiling in emergency situations
The idea of collection also appears in natural disasters , when movements are launched to raise funds with the aim of helping those affected. It is common for those who coordinate the solidarity campaign to establish collection sites and then send donations to those affected.
The concept of stockpiling appears in other emergency situations, such as a deep economic crisis characterized by sudden changes in food prices: when there are uncontrolled cases of inflation, it is common for people to go as soon as they can to their nearest supermarket. nearby to stock up on groceries , since you don't know how much the products you need will cost the next day.
Situations like this have happened more than once, in different countries, and generate great desperation, since prices can change from one moment to the next , while people try to get as many products as possible and fight with dozens of other citizens. They are in the same nightmare.
The need for stockpiling in a case like this exists especially in families with small children, since their correct nutrition is one of their parents' priorities: while an adult could sustain themselves with products such as rice and pasta, children They need a wide variety of foods so that their organisms can develop properly.