USDA: EMERGING MARKETS ACCOUNT FOR MOST OF THE GROWTH IN AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS Jan. 3, 2017 Source: USDA news release Growth in demand for food, and by extension for agricultural imports, is particularly sensitive to growth in per capita incomes in developing countries, where relatively large shares of rising incomes are typically spent on increasing both the amount and diversity of foods consumed. In contrast, consumers in more developed countries, where per capita incomes and food intake are already relatively high, are less likely to spend as much of new income on increasing the amount of food they eat.