Jakarta. Investors from China and Germany have expressed interest in bamboo cultivation in Indonesia for export sales, Deputy Industry Minister Faisol Riza announced on Thursday.

If realized, the project could involve up to 20,000 villages across Indonesia, fostering massive community participation in bamboo cultivation, Faisol said in Jakarta.

“They envision large-scale community engagement in the project, potentially covering 20,000 villages for bamboo cultivation,” Faisol told reporters, without disclosing the identities of the investors or the estimated value of the investment.

According to Faisol, the investors have conducted research on Indonesian bamboo varieties and identified certain subspecies that meet their requirements. Among them is petung bamboo, a highly valued variety known for its strength, durability, and large size, commonly found across Java Island.

The investors have also shown interest in native bamboo species in East Nusa Tenggara after visiting the Labuan Bajo coastal resort in the province, Faisol added.

“In East Nusa Tenggara, they found bamboo varieties that they claim to be superior in quality to Chinese bamboo,” he said.