From correspondents in Himachal Pradesh, India, 11:00 PM IST

There is a need to set up a trans-Himalayan authority for greater cooperation in agriculture, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal told delegates from this state as well as Jammu and Kashmir, Uttrakhand and Arunachal Pradesh here Thursday.

He said all hilly states had common problems and if these were taken up collectively with the central government it could yield better results.

Dhumal urged the central government to include perishable horticultural commodities under the crop insurance scheme and to empower the hill states to look after their forest wealth. He also demanded that horticultural activities should be included in the farm loan waiver announced in the union budget.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)