Jammu: President A P J Abdul Kalam on June 26 expressed fears that availability of land and water in the country would decrease in the coming years due to increasing population, but said scientists could deal with the situation.

"Only scientists can show the way to deal with such a situation", Kalam said while interacting with scientists at Regional Research Laboratory (RRL) in Jammu on June 26 evening.

The President, accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Governor S K Sinha, CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) Director General R L Mashelkar and RRL director G N Qazi went round the laboratory to see the facilities and work being done by the researchers.

He visited the experimental fields and was very impressed by the green house and the work being done on aromatic and medicinal plants.

Kalam also visited the pharmacology and biotechnology departments and bio-informatics division. This division developed the gluconits technology for which it won the national technology.

On this occasion, Mashelkar named an aromatic grass developed by the laboratory as 'Kalam'.

Later, Qazi presented books brought out by the laboratory to the President.

PTI