What does saffron corm planting material cost and how many years to first proper harvest?

Saffron is grown from corms, not seed. Planting rate is roughly 5 to 6 quintals of corms per acre depending on corm size and spacing. Good healthy corms have ranged broadly from around 500 to 1000 rupees per kg in recent seasons, so the planting material cost alone is large, treat these as indicative and check current Pampore rates. Flowering usually starts the autumn of the same year you plant if corms are mature, but a proper economic harvest builds up over the second and third years as corms multiply underground. A field stays productive for about 4 to 6 years before you lift, separate and replant the corms. Buy certified disease free corms, avoid cheap lots that may carry corm rot, and confirm rates and sourcing through the Saffron Park or Department of Agriculture in Pampore.