KARACHI, Sept 10: Karachi Cotton Association Chairman Iqbal Umer has expressed his concern over the government plan to reduce water supply for the standing cotton crop on account of alarming shortage of water for the next wheat crop.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the KCA chief said that cotton being the only cash crop with an earning of over 65 per cent foreign exchange should not be destroyed at a time when harvesting was about to start.

He said the farmers had utilized almost all the inputs for achieving a bumper cotton crop, and as a result of this and good weather and subsoil conditions, the crop was flourishing for the ideal harvesting.

The KCA chairman urged the ministry of agriculture not to close canals at this stage because it would adversely affect the most flourishing crop of cotton as reported. He said the closure of canals at this stage would destroy a fairly large cotton crop and result in heavy loss of foreign exchange.