Saudi Arabia's cabinet has approved short- and long-term measures to protect the inflation-hit economy from food price rises.

"The cabinet approved a number of short- and long-term steps ... to protect the market from price fluctuations and preserve living standards in the kingdom," a statement on the official news agency SPA said.

The statement gave no more details.

Inflation in the largest Arab economy almost doubled in the six months to March, when it hit 9.6 percent, its highest since at least the 1970s, official data showed on Sunday.

Earlier this month Saudi Arabia slashed import levies on food such as frozen poultry, dairy goods and vegetable oils to 5 percent from about 20 percent.

Levies on building materials such as paints, gypsum, electrical cables and plastic pipes were reduced to 5 percent, while duties on wheat products were eliminated entirely from 25 percent.

In March it introduced subsidies, cost of living allowances and welfare payments help its 25 million people cope with price rises.

Inflation is a key challenge across the Gulf Arab region, where governments which peg their currencies to the ailing dollar are raising wages and subsidies, bringing in price controls and tightening lending curbs to dampen the impact of price rises. -Reuters