Manila, April 27 -- The Department of Agriculture in the Caraga Region (DA-13) is moving early to mitigate the potential impact of El Nino by identifying vulnerable rice and corn clusters across the region.

Gerlie Antipaso, DA-13 disaster risk reduction focal person, said Monday that the agency is currently consolidating data on rainfed municipalities to determine which barangays face the highest risk.

"Around 57 percent of our rice farms are in rainfed areas in the different provinces in the region," Antipaso said in an interview, noting that fields at the tail end of irrigation systems are equally susceptible.

As of April 15, the agency has identified 17,228 hectares of rainfed rice farms and 1,897 hectares in upland areas, alongside...