Conflict in Yemen is disrupting the crop planting season and threatens to create food shortages as the war-stricken country eats into its cereal reserves, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Wednesday.

Yemen's cereal stocks stood at around 860,000 tons when Saudi-led air strikes against Iran-allied Houthi rebels started, enough for three to four months, FAO Assistant Director-General for North Africa and the Near East, Abdessalam Ould Ahmed, said. The cereals were mostly wheat, but also included rice and maize, he said.

"We are very much concerned by the fact that this country may not be able to sustain imports while reserves of food are shrinking as conflict drags on," Ould Ahmed said by telephone. More than 10 million Yemenis lack adequate food supplies and nearly five million are facing an emergency, FAO said.

Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, hit by political instability and intermittent violence, is now facing a major humanitarian crisis, with 15.9 million people in the country in dire need of humanitarian assistance.