A New Brunswick farmer held in a Beirut prison since last March is on his way home to Canada and is expected to arrive in Ottawa later today.

Henk Tepper, 44, from Drummond, N.B., was picked up in Lebanon last year on an international warrant issued by Algeria over a shipment of potatoes.

Henk Tepper, 44, was detained March 23, 2011 in Beirut, Lebanon. (CBC)

In a statement issued Saturday morning by Diane Ablonczy, Canada's minister of state for foreign affairs, the federal government has been working behind the scenes to get Tepper released.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am pleased that Canadian consular officials have helped secure the release of Mr. Henk Tepper, she said. "Our government has been quietly and persistently working through diplomatic channels to resolve his situation.

"Canada's ambassador to Lebanon and consular officials displayed an unwavering commitment to assist Mr. Tepper. Canada is also appreciative of the responsiveness of our partners in Lebanon," said Ablonczy.

In an interview with CBC News on Saturday, New Brunswick Liberal Senator Pierrette Ringuette, who has also been involved in the effort to free Tepper, said the federal government "failed" Mr. Tepper.

Ringuette credited her own efforts, alongside the efforts of the Lebanese government, with the Canadian farmer's release.

"It was certainly the representation that we made, the facts that we brought to their attention, and I think also the long friendship between the Canadian people and the Lebanese people," Ringuette said.

According to Ringuette, the farmer's family is said to be "extremely happy" about the news, and will be waiting for him at the airport where he is expected to arrive on a flight from Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday afternoon. Both his Lebanese and Canadian lawyers, Joe Karam and Jim Mockler, will also be by his side.

Tepper's family has been voicing concerns about the farmer's mental and physical health since he was detained.

Algerian authorities accused Tepper of forging food inspection documents in 2007 to say his potatoes were a better quality than they actually were. However, he was never charged while detained in Lebanon.

RCMP investigated the case and closed it for lack of evidence, but provided Interpol Algiers with information about Tepper, including financial details about his farming business along with other personal information about his wife, their house and assets.

At the time, the RCMP said it was standard procedure to share such information with other Interpol countries.

But Tepper's lawyers believe it was that information that led to the Interpol warrant and his subsequent arrest in Lebanon where he was travelling on business.

Meanwhile, Tepper's business, Tobique Farms, has been under creditor protection since June.

The 1,214-hectare potato farming operation is one of the province’s largest potato producers.

With files from CBC's Laurie Graham