HZPC names Homoud Saleh (LEHA Group) Potato Man of the Year 2017

A true entrepreneur

Each year, during the Potato Days, potato breeder HZPC announces the Potato (wo)man of the Year. This year Mr. Homoud Saleh was rewarded with this title.

Mr. Saleh is a true entrepreneur: he established his own computer company in 1984. Starting from scratch, the business grew up to approximately €90 million sales in the year 2016. He began seed potato trading more than 20 years ago by chance; once he started planting potatoes, he discovered how much he liked the crop and so he decided to invest in it.

LEHA Group

In 1994 Mr. Saleh established the company LEHA, an agricultural company specializing in potatoes. The company grew very fast and in 1998 it was awarded a sizeable contract to provide processing potatoes to Fritolay in Saudi Arabia.

The company continued to grow. Total ware production in the year 2000 was in the range of 30,000 MT, reaching to approximately 200.000 MT in the year 2012 and becoming the largest potato producer in the Middle East.

LEHA Group later on grew up to have its own transportation company holding more than 300 trucks and cold storages with storing capacity of over 60,000 MT of potatoes, all to serve LEHA agriculture and customers.

Cooperation

HZPC is working with LEHA since about 20 years. With the support of Mr. Saleh and his business, we succeeded to successfully introduce various varieties. We have been able to grow our business with the growth LEHA has accomplished.