DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 200,000 farmers in northern Tanzania have no adequate food supplies while 47,000 households are already facing starvation in the wake of inadequate rainfall and poor harvest, local press reported on Friday.

    Newspaper The Guardian quoted a local official as saying that there is an acute food shortage in the country's Kilimanjaro region where thousands of people are on the verge of starvation.

    "The region urgently needs about 113,000 tons of cereals to avert a hunger crisis," said Hilda Ngoye, government commissioner to the region, one of the 26 province-like administrative areas inthe east African country.

    The commissioner called on local farmers to make the most of the current rainfall to plant crops that can mature within a short period of time to help alleviate the food shortage.

    The official also urged the country's ward disaster committees to coordinate census on food requirement so as to enable the government to know the magnitude of food supply status quo and any potential problem. Enditem