Last year, Côte d’Ivoire produced 1.54 million tonnes of cocoa, CCTV Africa reported. And although the country provides close to 40 percent of the world’s cocoa beans, exporters are worried that Ebola, which has harshly affected neighboring countries, will take a toll on production. Cocoa bean farmers say that they can’t afford to lose workers:

“Ebola is a very serious disease,” cocoa grower Atsi Lepierre told CCTV Africa. “I would say it’s even worse than HIV and AIDS. We are all worried. The government must help us rural workers; the state must take measures to protect Côte d’Ivoire.”