Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Fresh Potato Trade Balance
Fresh potato trade balance compares exports and imports of fresh potatoes for a defined country and period. MassGain breaks the net number into seasons, partners, products, values, crop timing, storage, and freight so users can distinguish temporary supply bridges from structural dependence.
Market Data
How to read this market
Fresh Potato Trade Balance compares exports and imports of fresh potatoes for a defined country and period. The useful object should retain origin, destination, season, variety or grade where available, quantity, value, and crop timing rather than reducing the market to a single net number.
Use the data to identify seasonal supply bridges, export pressure, and import dependence. Compare trade with domestic crop calendars, storage stocks, regional prices, freight, and phytosanitary requirements so a temporary early-season deficit is not mistaken for a structural shortage.
Data Module
Fresh Potato Trade Balance Monitor
Productfresh potatoes
Geographycountry and partners
Seasoncrop and trade window
Flowimports versus exports
Contextstorage, prices, freight
Decision useseasonal sourcing balance
Analysis
Why this matters
A country can be a net exporter for the year and still import during a seasonal gap, or show a deficit because of one premium variety while the main crop remains ample. The net balance matters less than the timing, product, and geography of the flows available to the buyer.
Signal 01
Usable Crop Uncertainty Index
UCUI translates crop and market complexity into a simple uncertainty signal. Higher readings indicate greater uncertainty—not necessarily higher prices.
Understand uncertainty. Anticipate risk. Act earlier.
UCUI is designed to analyze potato-industry publications and data signals across regions, varieties, weather, disease, storage, supply, and demand.
WeatherHigh
DiseaseHigh
StorageMedium
SupplyMedium
Single-day snapshot based on a scan of 11,500+ web and social signals. Get historical and real-time data by clicking the button below.
The MassGain Daily
Today’s market analysis.
A daily editorial synthesis of physical potato data, crop signals, market reporting, and what participants should watch next.
September 16, 2026Latest MassGain publication
Potato market steady for now; Russia’s smaller crop is the salient risk
Spot prices are flat and USDA terminal reports read ‘market steady,’ but a renewed forecast for a smaller Russian harvest and recent regional harvest stress leave seasonal import timing and storage losses as the key uncertainty.
Signal 02
MassGain Potato Index
Independent physical-pricing intelligence and market-trend analysis for procurement, forecasting, contracting, and scenario planning.
Core Russet Carton Median
312.45 USD/MT
Latest qualifying physical-market observation
+4.75 (+1.55%)
Price discovery for the physical potato market
MPI is designed to track physical pricing data, price trends, deltas, and divergences across regions and potato types.
Series window45 days
Current public coverageCore russet cartons
Primary source basisQualifying USDA physical rows
UnitUSD per metric tonne
Single-day snapshot based on most recent 45 days worth of data. Limited to US Russets only. Get more complete, global data about all varieties by clicking the button below.
Signal 03
MassGain Spot Reference
An independent spot reference designed for price discovery, contract discussions, procurement comparisons, and risk modeling.
Russet Burbank — U.S. Midsize
305 USD/MT
Demonstration reference format
+1.6% WoW · Confidence: High
A trusted benchmark for pricing, contracts, and risk
MSR is intended to use real transactions and verifiable physical-market data to support negotiations, price checks, contracting, and risk models.
ProductRusset Burbank
SpecificationU.S. midsize, 40–70 count
Reference typePhysical spot benchmark
StatusIn development
Based on most recent 45 days worth of data. Limited to US Russets only. Get more complete, global data about all varities by clicking the button below. Full access also includes historical data -- including depreciated NYMEX/CBOE/EEX spot references -- projections, trends, and AI-driven insights.
The MassGain Product Ladder
From insight to intelligence to action
Four integrated products built for the physical potato market, delivered through public pages, reports, exports, dashboards, and API access.
1
Content
Original research, commentary, aggregated news, and market updates.
- What matters right now?
- What is happening out there?
2
UCUI™
Usable Crop Uncertainty Index: an AI-powered signal of crop risk and market uncertainty.
- Understand uncertainty
- Anticipate risk
- Act earlier
3
MPI™
MassGain Potato Index: independent physical-pricing intelligence and trend analysis.
- Price discovery
- Regional trends
- Procurement planning
4
MSR™
MassGain Spot Reference: an independent benchmark for price discovery and risk modeling.
- Contracts
- Negotiations
- Risk models
Content + UCUI + MPI + MSR + API access
Get historical series, regional detail, constituent data, exports, alerts, and direct data access.
Overview
Who is this for?
This page is for fresh-potato growers, packers, importers, exporters, distributors, and market analysts that need to understand the fresh potato trade balance. The balance compares fresh-potato exports with imports for a defined country and period, but MassGain helps users look beyond the net number to the origins, destinations, seasons, varieties, quantities, values, and unit prices driving it.
A trade surplus does not guarantee abundant domestic supply for every buyer, and a deficit does not necessarily indicate structural shortage. Countries may export during one crop window and import during another, trade different varieties or grades, or use imports to serve regions distant from domestic production. MassGain connects trade flows with crop calendars, regional prices, storage, domestic demand, freight, and phytosanitary rules. Growers can evaluate export pressure, distributors can identify seasonal sourcing alternatives, and processors can avoid drawing raw-material conclusions from fresh-market flows that do not match their specifications. The result is a seasonal and product-aware balance view rather than a simple exports-minus-imports headline.
Use Case
A country moves into a fresh-potato trade deficit, and buyers expect sustained domestic inflation. MassGain shows the change is concentrated in a short early-season gap and a premium retail variety, while main-crop supply remains balanced. Procurement treats the imports as a seasonal bridge rather than evidence of a year-round shortage.
FAQs
What is the fresh potato trade balance?
It is the difference between fresh-potato exports and imports for a defined country and period.
Why can a trade deficit be seasonal?
Crop calendars, storage, regional demand, varieties, and temporary supply gaps can require imports during part of the year.
How does MassGain interpret the balance?
It separates partner, product, season, volume, price, freight, and domestic crop conditions.
Put this market intelligence to work
Get historical data, regional detail, benchmarks, alerts, exports, and API access tailored to your procurement
and market-analysis needs.
Data and Methodology
Professional market-data standards
MassGain is building transparent public market infrastructure. Each live metric will identify its date, unit, coverage, methodology, and source basis.
Data provenance
MassGain uses public, licensed, contributed, and independently derived physical-market information. Source availability and publication schedules vary.
Timing and revisions
Figures may reflect the latest available observation rather than a same-day transaction. Source data and MassGain calculations may be corrected, restated, or revised.
Not transactional pricing
MassGain figures are informational reference values and do not constitute executable bids, offers, settlements, or guarantees that a transaction can occur at the displayed value.
No individualized advice
Content and data are provided for informational and analytical purposes and do not constitute financial, investment, legal, trading, or individualized procurement advice.
Independent publication
Certain observations may be derived from USDA reports. MassGain is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USDA.
Commercial use and licensing
Public display does not grant rights to reproduce, redistribute, republish, or incorporate MassGain indices or references into commercial products or contracts without authorization.