diff --git a/c/containers/lrec_parsers.c b/c/containers/lrec_parsers.c
index 8cf5929ee..feea138fa 100644
--- a/c/containers/lrec_parsers.c
+++ b/c/containers/lrec_parsers.c
@@ -145,19 +145,22 @@ lrec_t* lrec_parse_csv(hdr_keeper_t* phdr_keeper, char* data_line, char ifs, int
 
 	// xxx needs pe-non-null (hdr-empty) check:
 	sllse_t* pe = phdr_keeper->pkeys->phead;
-	for (char* p = data_line; *p; p++) {
+	for (char* p = data_line; *p; ) {
 		if (*p == ifs) {
 			*p = 0;
+
+			key = pe->value;
+			lrec_put_no_free(prec, key, value);
+
 			p++;
-			// xxx hoist loop invariant at the cost of some code duplication
 			if (allow_repeat_ifs) {
 				while (*p == ifs)
 					p++;
 			}
-			key = pe->value;
-			lrec_put_no_free(prec, key, value);
 			value = p;
 			pe = pe->pnext;
+		} else {
+			p++;
 		}
 	}
 	key = pe->value;
diff --git a/c/test/output/out b/c/test/output/out
index 99b7bbfde..d4fc038a4 100644
--- a/c/test/output/out
+++ b/c/test/output/out
@@ -1319,10 +1319,10 @@ NULL-FIELD INPUT
 
 ./test/../mlr --icsv --odkvp cat test/input/null-fields.csv
 a=1,b=2,c=3,d=4,e=5
-a=6,b=,,c=,10
-a=,b=,,c=11,d=12
-a=13,b=14,c=,,d=
-a=,b=,,c=,
+a=6,b=,c=,d=,e=10
+a=,b=,c=,d=11,e=12
+a=13,b=14,c=,d=,e=
+a=,b=,c=,d=,e=
 
 ./test/../mlr --inidx --odkvp cat test/input/null-fields.nidx
 1=a,2=b,3=c,4=d,5=e