Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Potato Spot Purchase Activity
Potato spot purchase activity measures current uncontracted physical trading by variety, grade, quality, origin, volume, delivery period, and freight basis. MassGain distinguishes executed transactions from indications and connects activity with storage, crop quality, plant coverage, and regional benchmarks.
Market Data
How to read this market
Potato spot-purchase-activity data tracks current open-market bids, offers, and completed raw-potato trades by variety, grade, size, quality, origin, volume, delivery window, and freight basis. The market object is active uncontracted physical business rather than routine contract delivery.
Use the data to assess open-market depth, buyer urgency, seller liquidity, and which specifications are actually trading. Separate executed transactions from indications and connect activity with storage withdrawals, crop quality, plant coverage, and regional benchmarks.
Data Module
Potato Spot Purchase Activity
Market objectcurrent open-market potato trade
Primary measuresbids, offers, trades, volume
Key dimensionsregion, variety, grade, delivery
Commercial usesupplemental sourcing and market-depth analysis
Evidence typesexecuted versus indicated
Compare withcoverage, storage, and benchmark prices
Analysis
Why this matters
High spot activity does not necessarily mean a broad shortage. A single plant can create intense trading in one variety or delivery week while other potato segments remain quiet.
Commercial interpretation should follow qualified volume and specification. A price spike in lower-grade or unrelated spot potatoes should not automatically reset a processing contract.
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 procurement and market-intelligence teams that need a current view of potato spot purchase activity. MassGain organizes open-market bids, seller offers, executed purchases, lot specifications, delivery dates, origin, freight basis, and visible market depth.
It separates genuine transactions from indicative quotes and distinguishes spot purchases from contract deliveries, transfers, or later settlement adjustments. Buyers can identify which varieties, grades, and regions are actually trading, whether activity is broadening or concentrated, and how urgently market participants are acting. The suite connects spot activity with storage withdrawals, crop quality, plant coverage, logistics, and current benchmarks so a few isolated trades do not become a misleading market narrative.
It also helps procurement teams measure the cost of waiting, understand where seller liquidity is disappearing, and compare their own uncovered requirements with the active market. MassGain does not provide executable offers or claim full visibility into private trades. It provides a transparent evidence layer for evaluating current open-market behavior and making more disciplined timing and coverage decisions.
Use Case
A procurement desk has 4,000 tonnes of uncovered spring demand. MassGain shows spot purchases are rising in two nearby regions, but most trades involve lower-grade stock that does not meet the plant specification. The team covers only the qualified portion, keeps alternative origins under review, and avoids chasing an inflated headline average.
FAQs
What counts as spot purchase activity?
It includes current open-market bids, offers, and transactions outside longer-term committed programs.
Why should specifications be tracked?
Spot prices can differ sharply by variety, grade, size, quality, origin, and delivery window.
Can high activity occur without a broad shortage?
Yes. Local contract gaps or one specification can trade actively while the wider market remains balanced.
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.