:- Several arguments have been made in favor of trade liberalization especially as it affects the developing countries and their national economic development. The recent upsurge in the economic fortunes of some of the major Asian countries has been attributed to their openness to international trade namely, their affiliation to GATT and WTO. It is however difficult to link the development in these Asian countries to international trade openness especially for countries like China that combines openness with massive government subsidies for local industries (Golberg, P, and Pavcnik, N (2017). The paradox of the international trade liberalization versus restriction is that even the countries who are campaigning for open and free trade are practicing some significant level of restriction and protecting their local industries either through regional groupings or unilateral protectionist policy. According to a report published by India's Engineering Export Promotion Council, the engineering export between 1976 and 1978 dropped from 35% to 12%. According to the report the drop was largely driven by trade protection by the Developed countries. During this period Engineering goods were emerging as the biggest export for India. In African countries like Nigeria, with its high youth unemployment over the years, trade liberation in key sectors has not yielded many benefits. For a country that is blessed with abundant cultivatable land that is used to produce enough crops for the population, opening its borders for free trade on critical agricultural food crops has negatively impacted the sector. The agricultural sector in Nigeria previously contributed to approximately 50% of the GDP but following the discovery of oil in the early 1960s the sector had suffered successive neglect leading to extremely unprecedented importation of food to the country. Nigeria faced a dilemma on Rice. As the most popular staple food in Nigeria the government was faced with the choice of satisfying the need for trade liberalization which has over the years decimated the local rice sector due to the stiff competition from Asian producers who obviously enjoy government subsidy or intervene to protect local farmers through trade embargos and tariffs. Since the direct intervention of the government, the rice sector has received a boost in terms of employment generation as well as investment attractiveness to private entrepreneurs. There then lies the challenge. The tension between international free trade and protectionism will continue until a solution that satisfies different parties is found. For now, the author recommends a system to promotes coopetition among countries without geographical boundaries or limitations. As long as developed countries continue to preach free trade while at the same time protecting their borders the tension will continue.

Keywords : Agricultural Development in Africa Rice Farming in Nigeria Developing Countries Government Interventions Import restrictions Agriculture and Development