Chennai, August 1 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government should develop minor ports and connect them to industrial corridors of the state, industry association Assocham has suggested.

The state maritime board should form joint ventures with private investors to develop ports and special economic zones (SEZ) in port areas, said D.S. Rawat, Assocham secretary general, who was here to unveil a report, 'Assocham Strategy - Realising double Digit Growth in Tamil Nadu'.

On agriculture, Tamil Nadu should focus on watershed management, water conservation, dryland farming and other such techniques.

"The state should adopt a policy to utilise public resources to fund the development of primary and priority sectors. While the private sources should be used to develop industry and services sectors, thereby the state confining itself to the role of a regulator and facilitator," it said.

According to Assocham, Tamil Nadu should revive its traditional industries like textiles, leather, garments and others while discouraging water intensive industries like chemicals.