Zonal Agricultural and Horticultural Research Station (ZAHRS) Hiriyur laid down front line demonstrations on safflower crop under AICRP on Safflower project by introducing improved and hybrid varieties and applying scientific package of practices in their cultivation. The productivity and economic returns of safflower crop in improved technologies were calculated and compared with the corresponding farmer's practices (local checks). During Rabi 2014 and2015, a total of two hundred demonstrations in which 100 participating farmer respondents and 100 non-participating farmer respondents from 5 representative villages in Chitradurga districts were selected through stratified random sampling method for the purpose. The safflower crop recorded higher gross returns (32,851 Rs./ha), net return (20,901 Rs./ha) and benefit cost ratio (2.74) in improved technologies as compared to the plots where farmers were using traditional practices in their cultivation. Based on the mean seed yield of safflower recorded with whole package it can be estimated safflower production in the state could be increased from 0.37 lakh t to 0.48 and 0.50 lakh t by bridging the yield gaps I and II, respectively through adoption of recommended technologies by all the farmers even without increasing the area.