Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Processing Breakeven Analysis
Potato processing breakeven analysis calculates the price, throughput, utilization, contribution, or raw cost needed for a defined plant, line, product, or campaign to cover costs. MassGain connects potato quality and recovery with conversion and market economics so users can see which variables move the breakeven threshold.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato-processing-breakeven data calculates the raw cost, finished selling price, throughput, utilization, or contribution required for a plant, line, product, or campaign to cover a defined cost base. The market object is the processing economics by raw-potato quality, recovery, oil, energy, labor, packaging, freight, coproduct credit, and customer price.
Use the data to solve breakeven under different crop-quality and operating scenarios and to compare plants or products on a consistent fixed- and variable-cost basis. Connect solids, defects, and recovery to raw tonnes required per finished unit.
Data Module
Potato Processing Breakeven Analysis
Market objectplant or product breakeven position
Primary measuresrequired volume, price, or input cost
Key dimensionsplant, line, product, campaign
Commercial usemargin and production planning
Cost driversraw, recovery, energy, labor, packaging
Compare withcapacity, customer price, coproduct credits
Analysis
Why this matters
Breakeven can deteriorate even when raw-potato prices are stable if lower solids or defects increase raw usage and utilities. Market and conversion signals therefore need to be modeled together.
Commercial interpretation should identify which variable moves the threshold. A product that looks attractive on gross margin may be uneconomic when it consumes scarce line time or weak-yield raw material.
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 food processors, plant finance teams, commercial leaders, and procurement managers that need potato processing breakeven analysis. Breakeven identifies the output volume, selling price, raw-potato cost, or contribution required for a plant, line, product, or campaign to cover its defined fixed and variable costs.
MassGain combines raw-potato prices, solids, recovery, yield, oil, energy, labor, packaging, freight, coproduct credits, line speed, utilization, and customer pricing. Users can calculate breakeven by finished tonne, case, line hour, or campaign and test how crop quality changes raw usage. Operations can identify the minimum throughput needed after downtime. Procurement can quantify the maximum sustainable raw cost for a product. Finance can compare plants and run downside scenarios, while commercial teams can see which customer prices or mix decisions support capacity.
Breakeven depends on cost classification and does not by itself measure return on capital or cash timing. MassGain does not prescribe plant closure or pricing. It provides a transparent driver model that exposes assumptions and shows how physical potato quality, processing performance, and market prices move the breakeven point.
Use Case
A dehydrated-potato line appears profitable at budgeted volume. MassGain updates gas prices, lower dry matter, reduced recovery, and expected downtime and shows the campaign now requires 8% more finished volume to break even. Management shifts production toward higher-contribution grades and revises raw intake.
FAQs
What can be solved in a processing breakeven analysis?
Required volume, selling price, contribution, utilization, or maximum input cost can be solved.
Why does potato quality affect breakeven?
Solids, defects, size, and recovery change raw tonnes, utilities, labor, and waste per finished unit.
How does MassGain support scenario testing?
It links prices, yield, capacity, costs, mix, coproducts, and customer terms under documented assumptions.
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.