The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (Vasep) met in Hanoi early this week to draw up an action plan for 2007-08 and to serve its long-term goal of establishing a seafood-processing hub for Southeast Asia inside the country.

The Vietnam News Agency reported that Vasep's Shrimp Committee deputy president Truong Dinh Hoe also called on businesses to set up a mechanism to track product origin and distribution among farmers, wholesalers and processors in an effort to control production and ensure quality.

Vasep also unveiled a project being run with the Fisheries Ministry to adjust several regulations on the supervision of food hygiene, quality control and the granting of import-export certificates, the streamlining of procedures and increasing the responsibilities of businesses and state agencies.