PREFACE Agricultural growth has been a prime mover for the reduction in hunger and food insecurity in the

1960s and 1970s. In the most of 1990s (during eighth plan period) agriculture recorded a growth rate of 4.7 per cent per year and the same declined to about 2.1 percent in the ninth plan period. This has further deteriorated and possibly will not exceed 1.5 percent during the last year of the tenth plan period. In this context, with a view to double agriculture production in the next 10 years, the Comprehensive District Agricultural Plan (C-DAP) 2007-12 for Bellary district is drafted. The annual growth rate of the district is targeted at an ambitious 4.5 per cent in line with the Karnataka's agriculture policy. I must place on record my sincere gratitude for the whole hearted support and critical inputs received from the former Honorable Minister for Home and Parliamentary Affairs, Sri M.P. Prakash, in preparing this document. I also wish to express my sincere thanks to Smt. Pushparekha Padmanabha, President, Zilla Panchayat, Bellary and Smt. Savithabai, Vice-President, Zilla Panchayat, Bellary for their valuable suggestions and guidance. I wish to express my sincere thanks to Sri Veerashiva Shankar Reddy, Chief Planning Officer, Bellary Zilla Panchayat, who ably liaisoned and guided all the concerned line departments during the entire process of plan preparation. Thanks are also due to the scientists of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and the Institute for Social and Economic Changes (ISEC), Bangalore and their team of scientists for their valuable interventions and constructive suggestions. The C-DAP has been formulated with the valuable contributions from all the concerned line departments under the umbrella of Zilla Panchayat, Bellary through intensive consultation process and series of meetings, the Joint Director of Agriculture Sri B.Y.Srinivas and his team of Officers have spearheaded the formulation of this plan and I wish to complement them for all their sincere efforts which resulted in preparation of this document in a short time Mendonca Antony, K.A.S. Chief Executive Officer, Zilla Panchayat, and President, District Level Task Force Committee, Bellary.