The importance of South countries1 in global agrifood markets and trade has been increasing over the last two decades, with growth in their participation, as both exporters and importers, having outpaced that of North countries. South countries, as a group, are net exporters of fruits, vegetables, fats and oils, and tropical products such as coffee, tea, cocoa and sugar, and net importers of key food commodities such as cereals, meat and dairy products. These patterns reflect structural changes along the development path. Agricultural productivity growth has fuelled expansion in the production of some products, while population growth and urbanization, rapid economic growth and increasing per capita incomes have contributed to growing demand for diverse food products. There are significant differences in trade patterns across South country regions, which in this report were defined according to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) classification of Developing Countries. Arab States are significant net importers of food and agricultural products, followed by South Asia and East Asia and Pacific. By contrast, the Latin America and Caribbean region is a significant and growing net exporter, followed by Europe and Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Growing levels of South-South trade – both within and between the six South country regions – has been a key feature of the growth in both the agricultural exports and imports of South countries over the last two decades. By contrast, the shares of total agricultural exports and imports traded within North countries, although higher than those for South countries, have declined over the same period.