What we mean by “tapioca chips”

• Two commercial forms matter for trade:
  
  1. Ready-to-eat (RTE) fried/seasoned chips (snack). In India these fall under the “Ready-to-eat savouries/snacks” class in FSSAI’s food-category system.
     
  2. “Edible tapioca chips” (white or parboiled) as dried slices—a BIS-standardized intermediate used as food (boiled/fried) or as input for flour/starch. BIS IS 1317:1969 (reaffirmed) specifies composition, safety and tests.
     

HS mapping (India):

• RTE roasted/fried vegetable chips (incl. tapioca): ITC(HS) 2008.19.40 “Other roasted & fried vegetable products.” (used by Indian exporters for tapioca chips).
  
• Dried cassava/tapioca (industrial chips etc.): HS 0714.10 (manioc/cassava, fresh or dried…). (Useful if you sell unseasoned dried chips rather than RTE snacks.)
  

Exports & markets

• Shipment-level trade records show India actively exporting tapioca chips under HSN 2008, with frequent use of 20081940 at 8-digit level. Top destination clusters over the last year were UAE, UK and USA (by shipment counts). (Note: shipment counts ≠ value; India’s official published stats aggregate 8-digit snack lines with broader “prepared vegetables”.)
  
• Where you classify adjacent cassava products (not chips): India also exports cassava starch (HS 110814)—about US$3.0 million (3.31 kt) in 2023—mainly to the US, Kuwait, Nepal, UAE & Sri Lanka. This is a useful proxy for cassava supply-chain depth.
  

How to code your products for customs paperwork

• Use 2008.19.40 for fried/roasted tapioca chips (retail snack). If you sell unseasoned dried slices instead, confirm with your broker whether 0714.10 (manioc, dried) applies.
  

Quality & regulatory requirements (export-ready)

A) BIS product standard for edible tapioca chips (dried slices) – IS 1317:1969

• Must be free of hydrocyanic acid (HCN) (simple picrate-paper test described).
  
• Physical/chemical limits (Table 1): Moisture ≤ 13.0%, Total ash ≤ 1.80% (db), Acid-insoluble ash ≤ 0.10% (db), Crude fibre ≤ 2.10% (db), pH 4.7–7.0, Cold-water solubles ≤ 11.0% (db); max chip thickness ≤ 20 mm; processed/packed under hygienic conditions
  

B) India food-safety rules that affect RTE chips

• Snack category classification (so additives, labelling, etc., follow India’s RTE savouries framework).
  
• Hydrogen cyanide limits for cassava-based ingredients: FSSAI revised the HCN limit to 10 ppm in sago/cassava/tapioca flours and their products (background—2017 amendment); BIS additionally requires chips to be HCN-free at product level. (When exporting, many buyers reference a 10 ppm benchmark from FSANZ for “ready-to-eat cassava chips”.)
  
• Oil quality & frying controls: India caps industrial trans-fats at ≤ 2% in all foods/oils (from Jan 2022) and mandates Total Polar Compounds (TPC) ≤ 25% for used frying oils (RUCO program)—both critical for chip manufacturers and auditors.
  

C) Export-market safety benchmarks to note

• Australia/New Zealand (FSANZ): 10 mg/kg total cyanide limit for ready-to-eat cassava chips; helpful as a specification reference for other strict markets.

Why this is India-/region-specific (strengths)

• Raw-material heartland: Kerala & Tamil Nadu account for ~80% of India’s cassava area/production, underpinning reliable supply for chips processors.
  
• Deep public R&D & varieties: ICAR-CTCRI (Thiruvananthapuram) leads cassava breeding/processing; multiple released varieties support culinary use and safety (work on low-HCN lines and best-practice processing).
  
• Cultural equity & product story: In Kerala, tapioca (kappa) is a signature staple and snack—fueling authentic “Kerala-style” chips positioning for GCC/UK/US diaspora markets.
  
• Process know-how & compliance base: BIS specification for chips, FSSAI snack rules, and nationwide RUCO program give buyers confidence on consistent frying-oil quality and trans-fat elimination.
  

Buyer/spec-sheet checklist

• HS Code: 2008.19.40 (RTE tapioca chips); alt. 0714.10 for undressed dried slices—confirm product intent.
  
• Regulatory: FSSAI “RTE savouries/snacks” category; trans-fat ≤ 2%, oil TPC < 25% (keep records of oil turnover & TPC tests).
  
• Cassava safety: Source sweet/low-HCN varieties; verify HCN-free outcome for dried chips per BIS IS 1317; for RTE chips, many buyers ask ≤ 10 ppm HCN (FSANZ benchmark).
  
• Analytical COA for each lot: moisture, ash, acid-insoluble ash, crude fibre, pH, cold-water solubles (if selling dried slices); peroxide/AV of frying oil; microbiology as per market.
  
• Labeling: country of origin (India), ingredient list (cassava, edible oil, salt/spices), allergen statement (if applicable), nutrition panel per destination rules; “store cool, dry; nitrogen-flushed pack” (common good practice).
  

Quick takeaways for exports

• Use 2008.19.40 for fried chips; shipment data points to UAE, UK, US as consistent buyers.
  
• Build specs around BIS IS 1317 (for dried chips) + FSSAI trans-fat/TPC rules + ≤ 10 ppm HCN target for RTE chips to meet stricter importers.
  
• Play the Kerala/Tamil Nadu origin & CTCRI-backed varietal/process story to differentiate on authenticity and safety.