President APJ Abdul Kalam on Thursday 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) here this evening.
The president, accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Governor SK Sinha, CSIR Director General RL Mashelkar and RRL director GN 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 a aromatic grass developed by the laboratory as 'Kalam'.
This citral-rich strain is very hardy and helps in checking soil erosion in degraded ecosystems which can improve economic condition of the farmers living in drought prone areas, laboratory sources said.
{{/usCountry}}This citral-rich strain is very hardy and helps in checking soil erosion in degraded ecosystems which can improve economic condition of the farmers living in drought prone areas, laboratory sources said.
{{/usCountry}}Later, Qazi presented books brought out by the laboratory to the president.