Harare  - Zimbabwe's prime-minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai said Saturday there was an "urgent" need for the country to form a new government to prevent starvation amid worsening food insecurity in the troubled country.

Addressing journalists in Harare, Tsvangirai said: "We need to respond to this crisis with utmost urgency. It is therefore imperative that a government be formed in the next few days and begins to implement plans to ensure that our people have food and do not die of starvation."

He said the country's industry was operating at about 10 per cent of its capacity.

"Therefore (the food and manufacturing industry) will not be able to deliver sufficient supplies to the market in order to contribute to the national food requirement," said the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader.

Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe on September 15 but they are yet to agree on the distribution of cabinet ministries.

Speaking in New York earlier this week, Mugabe said that only four ministries had still to be agreed on.

Tsvangirai hinted the divisions were greater.

"I think to minimize the remaining issues to only four issues, it is to underplay the whole process. The issue is that the negotiation must be concluded. I think the matter will be solved once all the principals are back in the country."

Mugabe was in New York for a a UN General Assembly session and is expected back in the coming days.

Zimbabwe's economy is caving in following a near decade of disastrous policies that are blamed for widespread food shortages and inflation, officially put at 11.2 million per cent, but estimated to be several times that. Over 5 million people, nearly half the population, is expected to need food aid by January.

Tsvangirai said food security experts told him that the country needed to import 800,000 tonnes of maize to avoid starvation before the next harvest in April 2009. (dpa)