Sweet potatoes, taro and yams from China
Fresh whole sweet potatoes from China pay 2% UK duty, while taro, yams, cassava and similar starchy roots pay a specific duty of £7.90 per 100 kg, and other sweet potatoes £5.30 per 100 kg, with no anti-dumping duty. They are zero-rated food for VAT, and fresh roots need a phytosanitary certificate. Cambridge China Bridge sources taro, yams and sweet potatoes.
Taro, yams and sweet potatoes from China: UK duty is 2% or £5.30 to £7.90 per 100 kg by line, with zero-rated VAT, plant health and cold chain checks.
Specific duty by weight
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, fresh whole sweet potatoes for human consumption (0714 20 10 00) carried 2% on goods from China, and other sweet potatoes, such as frozen or dried, £5.30 per 100 kg. Cassava, yams, taro, yautia and arrowroot in packs of up to 28 kg for human consumption, fresh and whole or peeled and frozen, carried £7.90 per 100 kg, and other roots and tubers of 0714 90 90 carried 2%. None had an anti-dumping measure or a suspension.
A specific duty is charged on weight, not value, so it weighs more on cheap bulk roots than on dearer lines. Frozen vegetables made from these roots, such as cooked taro, are covered in our frozen vegetables guide, and dried slices in our dried vegetables guide.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet potatoes, fresh, whole, for human consumption | 0714 20 10 00 | 2% | None |
| Sweet potatoes, other | 0714 20 90 00 | £5.30 / 100 kg | None |
| Taro, packs up to 28 kg, for human consumption | 0714 40 00 10 | £7.90 / 100 kg | None |
| Yams, packs up to 28 kg, for human consumption | 0714 30 00 10 | £7.90 / 100 kg | None |
| Cassava, packs up to 28 kg, for human consumption | 0714 10 00 10 | £7.90 / 100 kg | None |
| Other roots and tubers | 0714 90 90 00 | 2% | None |
Plant health and food rules
Fresh roots and tubers from China need a phytosanitary certificate, pre-notification and plant health checks, and must arrive free of soil, as set out in the GOV.UK guidance on importing plants and plant products. Frozen peeled roots are treated as food rather than plants for these checks.
Pesticide residues must stay within the maximum residue levels of retained Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, and retail packs need labelling under retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Raw taro and cassava must be cooked before eating, so pack labels should say so.
Worked duty example
Take a hypothetical reefer of 20,000 kg of fresh taro in 18 kg cartons under 0714 40 00 10: £14,000 free on board plus £4,200 of refrigerated freight and insurance gives a customs value of £18,200. The specific duty is £7.90 for each 100 kg, so 200 × £7.90 = £1,580, which is about 8.7% of the value. Taro is zero-rated food for VAT under Notice 701/14, so no import VAT is due. Step by step: UK import duty and VAT.
What goes wrong
Root loads fail on rot, sprouting and soil. Roots harvested wet or bruised in packing develop soft rot in the container; the wrong temperature makes sweet potatoes suffer chilling injury or sprout; soil left on the roots breaks the plant health rules and holds the load; and sizes and weights in the cartons do not match the specification.
Agree the curing, grading and carton weight with the packer, ask for the reefer set point and temperature log, inspect a sample at packing for rot, bruising, sprouting, soil and size, check the phytosanitary certificate against the lot, weigh sample cartons, and inspect again on arrival.
Cambridge China Bridge sources taro, yams and sweet potatoes for importers, wholesalers and restaurant suppliers, including regular reefer programmes. See our container programmes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on taro from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, taro in packs of up to 28 kg for human consumption carried £7.90 per 100 kg from China.
What duty applies to sweet potatoes?
Fresh whole sweet potatoes for human consumption carried 2%; other sweet potatoes £5.30 per 100 kg.
Do fresh roots need a phytosanitary certificate?
Yes. Fresh roots and tubers need a phytosanitary certificate and must arrive free of soil.
Is there VAT on imported taro?
No. Taro is zero-rated food under VAT Notice 701/14.