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.
長長的、如同絲綢般的藏紅花花絲是花朵裡3條深紅色的細線。這些花絲是人工小心翼翼地從花朵中摘出來的。每公斤藏紅花是從近15萬這樣的藏紅花裡摘出來的。
Pure saffron sells at high rate in Kashmir, but saffron production has declined from last two years due to severe change of temperature. There must be at least three rainfalls a year for good saffron yield.
純藏紅花在克什米爾的售價很高，但藏紅花的產量過去2年裡一直在下降，這是因為氣溫發生了巨大改變。每年至少要有3場雨，藏紅花才能有好收成。
This year, we didn't receive even five percent of the rain we normally get. The biggest problem is lack of irrigation.
今年的降雨量只有正常情況下的5%。最大的問題是缺少灌溉。
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.
10月-11月之間是藏紅花盛開的旺季。在旺季來臨之前，必須要有足夠的水才行。位於首都斯利那加郊區潘波雷是山谷裡盛產藏紅花的地區。
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.
近90%的藏紅花都是在這裡培育的。據說，藏紅花在潘波雷地區已經生長了近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.
以前，潘波雷如果成功豐收，就會舉辦豐收節，但最近數年來一直都沒有舉辦過豐收節。如果收成不錯，這裡就會舉辦豐收節。
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.
美國人都會歡慶豐收，但過去兩三年裡，藏紅花培植遭受了重創。可以看到乞丐拿到的花都比我摘的多。
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.
而如果當地的農民採摘的量不夠，那麼克什米爾藏紅花就很難經受住印度市場的激烈競爭。自從海外的藏紅花湧入印度市場，克什米爾的需求量就開始下滑，失去了曾經的輝煌。
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.
藏紅花研究站的達爾教授認為，天氣並非導致當地藏紅花農戶遭遇需求減少的唯一原因。主要原因是市場營銷不夠：農戶們拿不到與產品對應價值的價格。
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.
該地區降雨量稀少，城市化嚴重，這就引發了很多問題。有專家表示，2015年，每公頃土地可以產出近120-160公斤的藏紅花，而去年卻只有12公斤的單產量。
This year, the production may come down even more. For Zubair Dar and and Yusuf Jameel, this is Bezhan Hamdard, Srinagar, VOA News.
今年的產量下滑的更為嚴重。感謝收聽Zubair Dar、Yusuf Jameel口述，Bezhan Hamdard從斯利那加發回的報導。