The Abu Dhabi Department of Planning and Economy said it had started tracking prices of 53 commodities, mainly food, and would release findings every month to keep better track of inflationary trends in the emirate.

The commodity price index includes food, beverages and tobacco items that account for 14.91 per cent of family spending in the UAE capital, the department said.

In June, the index showed the price of Basmati rice from Pakistan rising 85pc, potatoes surging 155pc and the cost of most milk products holding steady.

Abu Dhabi said last month it would use the findings of a household spending survey this year to modify an outdated consumer price index to more accurately calculate inflation.

Inflation in Abu Dhabi, the world's fifth-largest oil exporter, hit 11.7pc last year and held at 11.5 per cent in March, official data showed this month.