Frankfurt, March 15 (BridgeNews) - German wholesale prices rose 0.9% in February from December, and were up 3.7% on the year, the Federal Statistics Office in Wiesbaden said Thursday. Prices were higher than expected, as prices for live pigs, bananas and poultry rose considerably on the month, while live cows posted a sharp fall on a month to month basis. Excluding fuels, wholesale prices in February rose 2.6% on the year, after a 0.1% annual rise in January. * * * Analysts had expected wholesale prices to rise by 0.6% rise on the month and around 3.0% on the month.