Shimla, May 8 -- Keeping in view the loses suffered by farmers due to inclement weather in Himachal Pradesh, the state government has urgent them to opt for weather based crop insurance.

Horticulture and revenue minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jagat Singh Negi, said on Thursday that the state government has begun assessing losses to apple orchards and other crops caused by hailstorms and erratic weather conditions.

Speaking to HT in Shimla, Negi said the exact extent of crop losses was yet to be determined, but teams from the revenue and horticulture departments were carrying out ground assessments. "Right now, we do not have the exact data regarding the losses and the assessment of the damage is underway," he said.

Negi said the governm...