The United Arab Emirates plans to build a three-month commodity stockpile as part of a strategy to bolster the Gulf Arab state's food security, the economy minister was quoted as saying by the WAM state news agency.

Sultan bin Saeed al-Mansouri said in remarks late on Tuesday that the UAE's food security strategy would be put before the federal cabinet for consideration.

"The strategy will establish an early warning system for crises and disasters that may affect national food security in the country, and build a stock of 15 commodities that covers three months in the first phase," the minister said.

Mansouri added that projections indicated prices of many essential commodities would rise during the next two years.

Gulf countries, mainly reliant on food imports, have ramped up efforts to secure food supplies through buying farmland in developing nations or buying stakes in agriculture companies.

Mansouri said the UAE plans to invest in agriculture overseas, including in Sudan and planting rice in Cambodia.-Reuters