Analysis
HTS 0709.99.10 covers chayote (Sechium edule) under heading 0709 (other vegetables, fresh or chilled).
Within this group the rate runs from 8% to 21.3%. Compared with 0709.99.45 (other: sweet corn), which pays 21.3%, a misclassification either way moves the duty by 15.7 percentage points.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 5.6%. It is also eligible under GSP, the developing-country programme, which Congress has to renew; check whether GSP is in force on the entry date.
The general duty rate is 5.6% of the customs value, which is in the middle of the rates in chapter 07 (34th percentile of 91 lines with an ad valorem rate). On a shipment valued at $10,000 that is $560 in duty before any Chapter 99 additions or preference claims.
The column 2 rate, for countries without normal trade relations, is 50%, 8.9 times the general rate.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 111219 (Other Vegetable (except Potato) and Melon Farming). That concordance is how imports of this line are compared with US output.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0709.99.05 | Jicamas, and breadfruit | 11.3% |
| 0709.99.14 | Other: okra | 20% |
| 0709.99.30 | Other: fiddlehead greens | 8% |
| 0709.99.45 | Other: sweet corn | 21.3% |
| 0709.99.90 | Other: other | 20% |