VOA常速英语2018--印度藏红花市场遭遇重创（在线收听）

The long and silky saffron filaments are the three deep red threads of the saffron flower. These are carefully picked from the flower by hand. Each kilogram of saffron is derived from about 150,000 such flowers. Pure saffron sells at high rate in Kashmir, but saffron production has declined from last two years due to severe change of temperature.

长长的、如同丝绸般的藏红花花丝是花朵里3条深红色的细线。这些花丝是人工小心翼翼地从花朵中摘出来的。每公斤藏红花是从近15万这样的藏红花里摘出来的。纯藏红花在克什米尔的售价很高，但藏红花的产量过去2年里一直在下降，这是因为气温发生了巨大改变。

There must be at least three rainfalls a year for good saffron yield. This year, we didn’t receive even five percent of the rain we normally get. The biggest problem is lack of irrigation. The saffron flower blooms in October through November. They must get plenty of water before that. Located on the outskirt of the capital Srinagar, Pampore is the valley’s saffron district. Nearly 90% of the cultivation of the exotic purple flower takes place here. It is said that saffron has been growing in the fields of Pampore for close to 2500 years.

每年至少要有3场雨，藏红花才能有好收成。今年的降雨量只有正常情况下的5%。最大的问题是缺少灌溉。10月-11月之间是藏红花盛开的旺季。在旺季来临之前，必须要有足够的水才行。位于首都斯利那加郊区潘波雷是山谷里盛产藏红花的地区。近90%的藏红花都是在这里培育的。据说，藏红花在潘波雷地区已经生长了近2500年。

Traditionally, Pampore would host a harvest festival after a successful crop season, something the area has not seen in a few years. In the event of a good crop, a festival will be held here. Everyone will be celebrating and be happy, but the saffron cultivation has suffered enormously during the past two to three years. You can see beggars take more flowers than I could pluck. And if that was not enough for the local farmers, Kashmiri saffron is now facing fierce competition in the Indian markets. Ever since the saffron from overseas reached Indian markets, the Kashmiri produce has lost its demand and grandeur.

以前，潘波雷如果成功丰收，就会举办丰收节，但最近数年来一直都没有举办过丰收节。如果收成不错，这里就会举办丰收节。美国人都会欢庆丰收，但过去两三年里，藏红花培植遭受了重创。可以看到乞丐拿到的花都比我摘的多。而如果当地的农民采摘的量不够，那么克什米尔藏红花就很难经受住印度市场的激烈竞争。自从海外的藏红花涌入印度市场，克什米尔的需求量就开始下滑，失去了曾经的辉煌。

Professor A.S. Dar of the Saffron Research Station believes weather is not the only reason why local saffron farmers are seeing a decline in demand. The main reason is inefficient marketing: The farmers are not getting the price they should get for their produce. Poor rainfall and urbanization of the area have created problems. Experts say that approximately 120 to 160 kilograms of saffron was been produced per hector of land in 2015 compared with just 12 kilograms last year. This year, the production may come down even more.

藏红花研究站的达尔教授认为，天气并非导致当地藏红花农户遭遇需求减少的唯一原因。主要原因是市场营销不够：农户们拿不到与产品对应价值的价格。该地区降雨量稀少，城市化严重，这就引发了很多问题。有专家表示，2015年，每公顷土地可以产出近120-160公斤的藏红花，而去年却只有12公斤的单产量。今年的产量下滑的更为严重。