Hoping for the best: Onion auctions to restart despite truckers’ strike.

Onion auctions, which had come to a halt at Lasalgaon — the country’s largest wholesale market for the vegetable — due to the ongoing transporters’ strike, after an agreement was reached between the traders and the market committee officials. Even though the strike has not been called off, traders agreed to take a risk and participate in the auctions. However, they hope that the agitation will be called off by the truckers in a couple of days. On Monday, some onion auctions took place in the sub-divisional market committees of Niphad, Umrana and Vanchur. Onion arrivals in these markets had touched 16,686 quintals and modal prices touched Rs 1,100 per quintal.Last week, arrivals at Lasalgaon were around 18,064 quintals with prices averaging at Rs 1,116 per quintal. Prices and arrivals were in the same range throughout last week.