Fayaz Ahmad Ganaie, a progressive farmer from the Zazna area of district Ganderbal, interacted with Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the launch of the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana held in New Delhi. Ganaie, who is a beneficiary of the Rural Business Service Hub (RBSH) under Project 04 – Strengthening of Agriculture Marketing of the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) in Jammu and Kashmir, has emerged as a successful entrepreneur. At present, Ganaie employs 14 workers and earns an annual profit of nearly ₹15 lakh. Speaking to Salaam TV after the interaction, Ganaie said he raised concerns with the Prime Minister regarding the leaf miner disease affecting Kashmiri apples, which significantly reduces their shelf life despite the use of various pesticides. “I told the Prime Minister that the real reason behind the immediate damage to apples is the leaf miner disease, not transportation or road issues. I appealed to him to initiate measures to control this disease,” Ganaie said. He added that Prime Minister Modi gave a positive response and assured that necessary steps would be taken. “We are thankful to the Hon’ble Prime Minister for his encouraging words and continuous support to farmers,” Ganaie said.