Yea protectionism can help economies get off the ground. But at the end of the day, if Haiti doesn't have the natural resources to grow rice efficiently, then it's better overall for them to do something else, and leave the rice growing to places where it's easy.

Another way to think about it is imagine Haiti is a state of America. There you expect different states to specialize in different things, and don't worry that some are dependent on others for "imports".