Current UCUI
68/100
Moderate-High Uncertainty
+4 points from prior reading
Potato Market Intelligence
Seed Potato Trade Balance
Seed potato trade balance compares exports and imports of planting material while preserving variety, generation, certification, health status, and timing. MassGain links bilateral seed flows with certified acreage, booking pressure, planting intentions, and processor requirements to reveal specification-level supply risk.
Market Data
How to read this market
Seed Potato Trade Balance compares seed potato exports and imports by country and period, but the commercially relevant object also includes variety, generation, certification, health status, planting window, and origin. Seed tonnes are not interchangeable with ware-potato supply.
Use the data with certified acreage, domestic multiplication, planting intentions, booking pressure, phytosanitary restrictions, and processor variety requirements. A balanced national total can still conceal dependence on one critical imported variety or generation.
Data Module
Seed Potato Trade Balance Monitor
Productcertified seed potatoes
Varietyrequired genetics
Generationseed class or stage
Geographyorigin and destination
Rulescertification and phytosanitary fit
Decision useplanting-supply security
Analysis
Why this matters
Seed risk is often concentrated in specification rather than total tonnes. A country may appear self-sufficient while relying on imports for one processing variety, and replacement seed may not arrive in the required generation or planting window. The analysis should focus on the seed that can actually support intended acreage.
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 seed growers, commercial producers, processors, regulators, and trade analysts that need to understand the seed potato trade balance. The balance compares exports and imports of seed potatoes, but its commercial meaning depends on variety, generation, certification status, crop health, planting window, origin, destination, phytosanitary rules, and available domestic multiplication.
Seed trade is not interchangeable with ware-potato trade. A country may show a balanced total while lacking one critical processing variety or generation, and imported seed may arrive too late or fail specific certification requirements. MassGain connects bilateral flows with certified acreage, regional seed availability, booking pressure, downstream planting intentions, prices, and movement restrictions. Growers can identify sourcing concentration, processors can assess whether future contracted acreage is at risk, and lenders can understand how seed availability may affect next season’s production. The result is a forward-looking balance view that shows whether the seed system can supply the varieties and health status required—not merely whether import and export tonnes net to zero.
Use Case
A processing region appears self-sufficient in seed potatoes, but MassGain shows imports supply most of one approved fry variety and the principal origin faces new movement restrictions. The processor reserves domestic multiplication stock and qualifies a secondary seed origin before planting commitments are finalized.
FAQs
What is the seed potato trade balance?
It is the difference between seed-potato exports and imports for a defined country, period, and classification.
Why can a balanced total still hide seed risk?
Required varieties, generations, certification, health status, and planting windows may remain concentrated or scarce.
How does MassGain support seed-trade analysis?
It connects trade with certified supply, varieties, booking, planting intentions, regulations, and regional production risk.
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.